Commander Wolffe and General Plo Koon
by time2read
Summary: The force seems have it out for Wolffe, good thing his General always has his back. Ch1 When Commander Wolffe is on the receiving end of a prank meant for Boost and the prank turns deadly...Ch2 Aftermath in which Plo Koon shows the Commander a glimpse of the force...Ch3 Pre Umbara in which General Krell serves as interim General for Wolffesquad, it does not go well...
1. A Harmless Prank Or So It Had Been

Hello this is my first Clone War Fanfic featuring one of my favorite clones. Enjoy! Credit for cover art goes to Jasjuliet.

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Ch1: A Harmless Prank

Several more holograms appeared indicating another shift in their flight pattern. A bit too thinly spread out but the strategy would be fool-proof. He had two contingency plans charted out should this specific plan of attack prove inefficient in some way but as far as it went this was the best it was going to get. He wasn't a Jedi and reading his enemies mind wasn't his job. The chrono beeped twice and then twice more to get his attention. Slowly he turned his head to the chrono massaging his neck as he realized how sore it had become from standing in the same position for well over an hour. Pain hit behind his eyes as he blinked away rapidly in an attempt to force away the blackness that was threatening to overcome his vision. The chrono rang again and he sighed at the end of his self-appointed shift. Another forty eight hours of productive battle simulation and flight simulation for the star fighters. He was silently thankful that their deployment would only have an aerial-aerial and aerial to ground component. The planet before the last had been half aquatic and he had to throw in several more hours for the possibility of an underwater skirmish.

Straightening up and shutting off the holographic display he was suddenly aware of the various officers and monitors that were present around him. Three of the troopers by terminal thirty laughed one leaning back in a chair eating his lunch the other two standing around and cracking jokes. His eyes skimmed the bridge as he gradually became more aware of his surroundings. The bridge was only half occupied and the regulation chrono read at O'thriteenhundred indicating a lunch shift rotation. On his previous ship the rotations were similarly lax when not mobilized for battle but unlike his first crew most of these were all shinies. Some cadets he knew but for the most part even after three weeks aboard this new commissioned flagship he was still a stranger. He did go out of his way to learn some names but they had been deployed twice already, and though the battles were mere skirmishes he hadn't had the time to pull away from the bridge much nor get to know his men. They were good he had no doubt, he had read through several of the files personally though he truly had no choice in their deployment to his squad, however for all their colorful accomplishments they were still not Wolfpack, not his squad, not yet.

He turned silently making his way off the bridge as he recalled the puns and good nights his old squad mates would bombard him with. They had incessantly preyed on his exhaustion, good naturedly of course, but he recalled quite several trying to drag him to bed when he passed the thirty six hour mark. To no avail of course, but his lips quirked up in half smile at the remembered attempts. The happiness however brought about a new pain and tightness to his chest with it and he lowered his face to shadow it as he passed several more cadets before he turned right and straightened as he made his way to the ships barracks. His movements grew sluggish as he groped for the door. Not many used the barracks in room 5-D in this rotation but with his ever changing schedule for bedrest it didn't quite matter. The room was large and had a good fifty built in sleeping pods, twenty five at each side. He made his way to his row and forced himself slowly up the ladder. His bunk was the fourth but he was quite wiped out and just as well pressed the combination for the third bunk. It was Boosts but his rotation would finish at O'twentyhundred. He was only planning to sleep for six of those hours but if he wasn't up by then Boost would be sure to wake him and then he'd grab a bite and maybe check on General Koon and run his strike fighter deployment and troop formation by him. The bunk slid open with a release and a beep and he collapsed into it pressing the controls to slide the bunk into the wall and then adjusted the controls adding several degrees of warmth and turning off the low lighting Boost seemed to sleep with. It took only several minutes as the lull of the ship and the warmth diffused through the ventilated air lulled him to sleep.

-0-0-0-

"You sure he's in bed now?" Jinx frowned as he observed pod 3-C.

"Dunno, I mean it's locked for sleep."

"You think Boost's skipping out on his rotation?"

"Don't think so, maybe he switched rotations, he got scratched up remember, maybe he's actually taking that extra bed rest seriously." Cubic ran a hand through his checker shaved hair as he shifted from one foot to the next. "Look we doing this or not?"

"Well he did ask for it." Jinx said as he skimmed a reg manual between snickers. "Alright let's see, its override code 3-3-5-4."

"Right, that'll teach him for dying Red's hair."

"I don't know I rather think blonde suites him don't ya think?"

"Yeah until he gets to your hair or dumps a load of soap and water into your pod."

"Well that's why you have to beat him at his game. Show him we're not as shiny as he thinks."

Cubic hesitated over the controls. "If we do lock this pod down though he could still get out."

"Yeah, but only if and when the maintenance droids get the signal and their busy cleaning those cruiser tanks we mucked up, not to mention the Commander wants those transports and starships in top notch order so they'll be at it for a while."

"You don't think they have several on standby maybe?"

"Right they somehow know in advance that two pranking troopers are going to lock down one of the pods for no good reason. Come on Cubic don't get wet feet now."

"Right," Cubic chuckled, "Well here's to a missed shift and a very unpleasant wake up from those droids or that tight wound Commander himself." He pressed the buttons before initiating a pod lockdown for maintenance.

Several more laughs later at Boosts expense the two troopers made their way out elbowing each other as they returned to their shifts while trying to gauge which hallway best to camp out in during their evening shift to see the Commander chew his man out for oversleeping. Or better yet seeing him wake up to a protocol droid yanking open the pod for inspection.

-0-0-0-

It was dark, suffocating almost and cold. He shuddered as he attempted to exhale the ever present vacuum that seemed to follow him as he struggled with the controls trying to get a signal. "Keep that signal alive Commander!"

Yes sir, he mentally responded as the chill of space intensified. Sweat poured down his brow as he attempted to get a signal, but try as he might nothing came up through the receiver. "Commander Ashoka? Come in Commander." Slowly but surely the droids descended on the pod. Slowly but surely their metal pincers grated at the walls. But when he looked out of the pods viewport once more it wasn't the sight of the droids he was met with but Booster, Sink and General Koon floating in space blaster marks sieving their bodies. Cold sweat poured down his back as he grasped weakly at the wall for support. But when he did so his hand went right through the wall and with a sickly hiss and snap the hunters finally cracked open his pod and he was thrown headfirst into the cold vastness of suffocating space.

This was wrong, this wasn't how the mission had gone, he gasped grasping at his neck as the air thinned almost as if he could will it back inside, gasped awake into the cold darkness and emptiness of nothingness. But it was not nothingness he felt surrounding him. Where was he? What, what's going on? His mind floundered as he fought against an onslaught of fear and pain that radiated through his chest, the heaviness pulsing and gathering at the base of his throat as he swallowed blinking away tears that he had not realized he was instinctively holding in and forcing back. He focused his mind pushing past the anguish of loss pressing down on his chest like blaster fire. Think, he had been tired, tired from what? There was a battle, no there was to be a battle, he had been keeping long hours again, running simulations, everything suddenly snapped into focus he must have woken in his sleeping pod. But why was it so dark? Where were the lights for temperature control? He slammed at the panel and then at the walls as he attempted to punch his way out but the pods were all made of duracreet. What time of rotation was it? These barracks were for the O'twentyhundred rotation but surely someone else was in here? Rotations did vary and shift. Pain wracked through one of his fists as he kept punching at the outer wall almost gasping for breath. What was going on? Why was the air so thin? He tensed against the memories that suddenly flooded his mind trying to push them away through sheer will as they overwhelmed him with their vividness. He had sealed away these memories, sealed them away in the darkest deepest recesses of his mind. But there was too much to forget. Alone in an escape pod in the middle of space the droids descending on him ready to crack the glass between him and the nothingness of space. But it was not his death that hung over him like a lightsaber. It was that of his men. They had been so alive so vibrant. And then in seconds their lives had been snuffed out. The Triumphant nothing but ash and space debree the bodies of his men propelled into the airless vacuum that was space. And those that he saw dying with his own eyes. They were his brothers! And he had loved them. His lungs shuddered at the memories of gasping in vacuum which sent waves of weakness and agony through his body the pain of loss clinging to his mind as if ice was squeezing at his heart. He pounded at the wall to no avail as his punches weakened his mind dizzy with effort. He ceased his flailing attempting to calm himself as he focused on his breathing. They were gone and nothing he did would bring them back. Something warm and wet trickled down the side of his cheek as the ice around his heart cracked snapping as his chest burned alit with fire he hadn't known he possessed, his breath hitched as he centered himself hand clutching at his chest for support. As if he could somehow douse the flames. The moment of weakness passed and the severity of the situation and adrenaline sharpened his senses snapping the memories away for another time. He was using up too much oxygen he needed to conserve his energy and figure out a way to somehow leave the sleeping pod. Because this was a sleeping pod wasn't it? But what had happened? Why was the pod not working? Had someone broke the controls? But if that were so then the pod wouldn't be sealed. Was it in maintenance mode? But who would lock down a pod for something like that when someone was actually inside? Was he even inside a sleeping pod? Maybe they had been boarded while he had slept and he was taken prisoner. But how? Surely he would have heard gunfire. He ran through several possible attack simulations and scenarios but none made much sense. The air if possible grew even thinner and he shuddered involuntarily as he blinked against the darkness. Were those stars he saw? He pressed his hand to his eyes attempting to calm his racing heart but it was getting harder to do so. Where was he? Was he really in the barracks? Or was that just a dream? Maybe he was dead? Or was he never even alive? Such a small speck amid the vast darkness and cold emptiness of space. He shuddered as he pounded once more at the wall trying to figure out where he was and what was happening but the dizziness was back. The air suddenly dropped to a near nothingness and he was left breathed harshly against the waves of darkness that surrounded him choking on the waves of nothingness and the memories of those that did.

-0-0-0-

Boost rolled his arm as he pushed himself back from the last blaster he had cleaned. It glinted in the light of the supply room and he placed it in a stand as he hefted his own onto his back. It was O'twentytwo hundred, he'd already grabbed some lunch earlier and had been pestered by that medical droid for a good hour after that so that meant he didn't have to go to that place again. Time to hit the sack then, he rose rolling his shoulder again pleased that it was not as stiff as it had been yesterday and marched his way to the barracks wondering whether he should go to the bridge and check up on Wolffe or Sinker. Sinker was probably in the mess hall though so he'd go grab Wolffe from the bridge and then maybe they'd all grab some grub together. It wasn't the best stuff in the world but hey it was better than rations and it wasn't what you ate it really was who it was with.

The bridge was buzzing with minor activity with the rotations changing but for the most part everything was running smoothly. "Hey anyone seen the Commander?" A couple of heads rose up shaking their heads or saying no they hadn't but several nodded and Trill spoke up. "He left some time ago, not sure where but I'm guessing the barracks, or maybe the mess hall."

Boost smiled his thanks and made his way to the barracks. He was thinking to check out the mess hall first but then decided against it. If Wolffe was really sleeping he might as well just go to bed himself. It wasn't as fun with just Sink anyway. Room 5-D was relatively empty which wasn't surprising. They all had plenty of sleep in the last few days so no doubt some were taking several hours just to catch up on some hobbies or chat up some brothers. Grabbing the railing he made his way up to pod 3-B the pod above his own. "Yo Wolffe?" Releasing the pod controls he was mildly confused at its emptiness but his eye then caught the flashing light on pod 3-C. He frowned, at the flashing maintenance sign. This was strange he'd just used that pod last night why was it on maintenance?

He tried fiddling with the controls but he didn't have his reg manual with him and he wasn't maintenance. He frowned slamming at the pod with his foot. Only to hear someone shift inside. "Kriff is someone in there?" His eyes widened as he heard another shift in the pod. "Kriff it! Kriff it! Which moron put this pod on maintenance there's a damn trooper in there!"

"Boost what's going on?"

"Sink? Have you seen Wolffe some bantha head put this pod on maintenance and there's a Kriffin trooper in there."

"What the Kriff are you for real?"

"Yeah I think so anyway?"

"Wait, I haven't seen Wolffe in the past several hours? Maybe he's the one who locked down your pod. Maybe you're just hearing things."

"You sure? I mean I'm pretty sure I heard someone or at least something in there."

"Maybe it's a maintenance droid?"

"But why would Wolffe not tell me?"

"Maybe he figured the droid would be done by then obviously."

"I don't know. Maybe I should just blast the panel open."

"Look Boost which idiot or droid would put a pod in maintenance with a trooper in there? Come on that would shut off all life support. No ones that stupid."

"Yeah your right but what if someone is in their?"

"Well what if it's a Kriffin droid? Admit it you've been jumpy ever since that mission."

"And you're not? We lost everyone in that hell hole."

"Not everyone, let's go get Wolffe."

"Didn't you just say you haven't seen him?"

"Not in the mess hall no, but if he's debriefing General Koon maybe he's in the Generals room."

"Yeah that makes sense. Especially if he's waiting on the General to finish a meditation or something."

"Yeah." Sinker snickered. "Cuz he's too polite to interrupt, you actually think he'd stand at attention for hours?"

Boost laughed at that. "With him I think that just might be possible.

-0-0-0-

Plo Koon had indeed been meditating for the past five hours but only three of them had been peaceful. The fourth had been filled with rampant fear nearing the verge of terror and pain so intense it took everything out of him to sit still in his meditative trance and not double over as he was. He had meditated at the source of the pain only to find his Commander at the center of it. This revelation was troubling at best. The loss of their ship had been devastating and it had taken much from both himself and his men to move past that but this. He wasn't quite sure what to make off it. There was of course the possibility that his Commander had snapped, despite being a clone he was human after all. But there was also the possibility that he was merely sleeping and in throes of a nightmare. Clones were harder to read in the force but that was likely do to the lack of sufficient time of meditating upon their presence within the force. They were much like humans but they did differ in their presence. He frowned as he contemplated as to what to do. He did not wish to confront the Commander or impede on his privacy. He trusted the Commander to come to him with any issues or concerns, and he and the Commander worked quite well together. But finding no answers in the force he persisted his meditating. After a good two hours he was beginning to grasp at their presence. It was remarkably easy once he realized how to approach them and their force presence which was more similar to other humans then he had first assumed. His eyes widened fractionally as he began sending out tendrils of the force to sense for his Commander. Remembering his signature could prove useful in the future particularly if they were separated during an assault or a rescue mission was in order. He breathed in centering himself the Commanders pained presence in the force a bright beacon of distress and anguish. His eyes widened at the ebbing of light as the life force of the Commander flickered in and out of being. Wolffe was dying! Had he made an attempt at his own life? There had been quite a number of both Generals and Commanders that had done so throughout history what made the possibility of such in a clone Commander any different? His shock and fear flitted into the force as he attempted to calm himself. He could feel the Commander's signature from the Barrack's it was still strong. He rose from his meditative position sharply. If he hurried now there was still time to save the Commander. His turned as he felt the presence of two troopers by the door. He released the lock and the two troopers nearly toppled into the room as they had been almost leaning on the door and hadn't expected him to open it with the force. At any other time he would have been amused but now was not that time.

"Boost, Sinker, where is the Commander?" He felt he may have come off too sharply but the two troopers eyes only widened and he could feel their distinct confusion through the force.

"We couldn't find him Boss." Sinker spoke up.

"It's actually why we came here sir." Boost added in quickly his eyes taking in the empty room.

"We thought he was with you… We needed to find him because someone put my pod in maintenance mode and we thought it was Wolffe."

Plo Koon's eyes widened as he suddenly found clarity through the force.

"Boss what going on?"

"Kriff! He's in that pod isn't he!?" Boost flinched at the sudden change in General's demeanor and the look of general fear in his eyes.

"I believe he is. We must hurry."

-0-0-0-

Boost all but ran to the pod his fear and shock pumping bursts of adrenaline as he ran. Not quite caring that there was a General behind him and was quite surprised when said General rushed ahead of him. They ran through the corridors following the General and turned quite a number of heads but as much as Boost loved attention this was not the way he wanted to get it.

He skidded to a stop before the barracks several of the troopers were there lounging around or prepping for some rest. But General Koon was already way ahead of him. His lightsaber was out and his mere presence was turning heads some even drawing back startled as he plunged his lightsaber into the pod controls yanking the pod out. He ran to the pod as Koon pulled out a man. It was Wolffe, he collapsed on his knees beside his brother, his face was drawn and pale tinged blue from the lack of oxygen. He could hear gasps and murmurs ranging from confusion, shock and horror as the other troopers gathered round. "Wolffe?" He whispered as he saw the General check for a pulse.

"Coric, summon a med droid for the Commander, preferably one with an Oxygen tank." The Generals baritone was laced with worry though his voice even.

"Yes Sir!"

"His lung may have sustained some damage."

"Kriff I shouldev believed you when you said you heard something! This is all my fault! If you would have pulled him out when you did he could have had a better chance."

Anger welled up inside Boost as he cradled Wolffe's limp hand in his own. "I should have trusted my gut Sink. This is my fault."

"None of this is either of your fault."

"General, Sir?"

"You are both good men, and by alerting me to this situation you have saved your friends life."

"I know sir but if I would have just followed what I thought was right!"

"I shouldn't have questioned Boost!"

The General sighed deeply resting a hand first on his shoulder and then on Sink's the other never leaving the half hold he had on Wolff's prone form. "Both of you should go rest. We will speak of this later."

He moved aside as the Coric came around with an oxygen tank strapping a mask onto Wolffe's face the medical contraption snapping on with a hiss as pure oxygen rushed through its tube. "Alright everyone out but these three out. Doctor's orders." The shocked and frightened troopers all filed out whispering amongst themselves as they left, one even had the gall to ask if their Commander was alright but Boost wasn't even in the mood of answering him back. Who was he kidding this wasn't the Wolfpack he knew. No one save those immediately around him would have his back. With the old squad they'd all be here gathered around worried for a brother. But this wasn't them, they had a ship, they had a crew, but it just wasn't the same. "Hey, you ok?"

He looked up at Sinker slightly startled. "Yeah why? Oh…" his hand went to his face as he realized that he was crying, and had been for a while now.

-0-0-0-

There was a tightness in his chest, he couldn't breathe. He gasped for more air gulping it greedily as it flowed painfully through his lungs. It was dark, and now light, now warm, now cold. He shuddered at the pain of loss, the pain of defeat. He hadn't thought about their deaths, not for the past three weeks doing everything he could to forget, and if not forget at least occupy himself with something so he wouldn't need to remember. Because if he remembered it would hurt and if it hurt he would fall apart. And if he fell apart he would lose his focus. He couldn't lead his men without his focus, and not being able to lead them would mean he couldn't do his duty, and if he couldn't do his duty what good was he then? Men counted on him, had counted on him and he had failed them, and they had died.

He gasped at the darkness, at the gut wrenching pain behind his chest as he breathed in and out rapidly shuddering against the cold that seemed to now cling to his skin and squeeze at his heart. "No!" He shot as the hand over his heart tightened its grasp, gasping and nearly sitting up before collapsing back at the wave of nausea that overtook him plunging his mind through heavy waters.

"Easy there Commander." A worried face floated into view.

"General what's happening?" The words felt heavy on his tongue as he struggled through them. The smell of antiseptic and bacta was overwhelming but try as he might he could not remember what had happened to land him in the med bay.

"There has been a terrible misunderstanding it would seem. You are quite fortunate to be alive, Wolffe."

The use of his personal name by the General confused him as he attempted to shift but a warm scaly hand pressed his shoulder down at the attempt. "The medic was quite clear that you are not to make any excess motions until your body has replenished its oxygen supply." Oxygen, the lack of it, the memory of his confinement and being locked in the pod rushed into him as his body lashed out trying to free itself from a confinement that was not there. A kind hand grabbed at his arm pinning it down beside him as his body shook against his will and against the hold. He gasped spasmodically into the oxygen mask as he attempted to rein his body in. It took several more moments of shuddering and shaking before his body calmed and General Koon settled down into a chair beside him. "Sorry Sir." The memories that had crashed down over him were now clearer and he felt the sting of shame at his reaction at being locked down in a mere sleeping pod. He'd slept in one his entire life; one would think that he could hold his head when locked in one.

"There is nothing to be sorry for Commander. You have been through a very traumatic experience; there is no shame in that."

"I could have handled it better."

An amused look crossed the Kel Dor's face as he sat back in his chair observing the Commander. "And how would you have handled that differently Commander?"

"I, uh…" To begin with he could have focused kicking at the pods exit instead of flailing around wildly, which now that he thought about it he had done. He should have attempted to calm himself to conserve the pods oxygen supply which he had done. He should have realized that though life support for the pod was terminated the ship still circulated with oxygen and some would flow through the cracks of the pod keeping him alive. But that had happened and the cracks in the pod were no doubt the only reason he was still among the living. He could have done something, anything had his communicator on with him had his earpiece with him. But he had left those in his armor trunk to be cleaned from their previous deployment and hadn't bothered with replacements. In the end he really had made what best he could from the situation. He wanted to ask the general why he was still here and how long he'd been out for but he was interrupted with the presence of two young cadets that stood stock still gawking at him from the doorway of med bed in which he lay. He racked his brain trying to remember the names of the two cadets that made their way towards him, one with the generic clone cut and black hair a tattoo of three red teardrops under his eye to distinguish him. The other his hair in a close cut with checker patterns shaved off in intervals. This one he recognized. Cubic, shock trooper, support division thirty two, primary weapon blaster rifle 44-B, and demolition expert. His shifted as General Koon rose giving the two troopers a glance and then giving him a strange and contemplative look.

"It appears Commander you have some company, I believe these two troopers have a confession to make."

-0-0-0-

Cubic looked around nervously as he made his way to the med bay with Jinx. He had been there when general Koon had dragged the Commanders near lifeless body from the pod. And the Commanders pale face and prone form was not an image he felt that he would forget soon. He still felt the shock of what he'd done. That moment when a prank goes so terribly wrong that you don't know what to do with yourself or even if you deserve to live after what you've done. He hadn't meant for the prank to turn out this way, to go this far. The worst part of this whole mess was that it could have been Boost or any other one of his brothers. And there seemingly harmless prank could have killed someone and they wouldn't have even realized. Who was he kidding, he was a shiny. He didn't know the first thing about a hands on assault let alone how to place charges under fire during a full scale invasion. Boost was right he should have curbed his arrogance when he had the chance, not goaded Boost into some pranking war which all but fatefully seemed to lead to this very moment in time when a prank finally blew up in his own face.

He paused by the entrance to the med bay not quite sure what to say. Everything still felt so unreal. His lip quivered as he resisted the urge to bite it in nervousness fidgeting as the General looked them up and down. He didn't deserve this consideration, especially when he had just very nearly killed his Commander, very nearly killed his brother through his own kriffin idiocy. Somehow he found himself moving forward to stand before the General.

"It appears Commander you have some company, I believe these two troopers have a confession to make." He swallowed nervously as the Generals gaze turned to study them first resting on Jinx and then on himself his scrutiny making him feel both discomforted and somehow exposed followed by the Commanders neutral yet cursory glance that left a deep pit of guilt welling up in his stomach. He looked like kriffin hell his skin as white as the sheets he laid on his breath hitching every other breath as if the mask was a lifeline and removing it would cause him to choke on nothingness.

Several more moments passed in stock silence as the General looked between them and the Commander whose eyes gained more focus and clarity as the seconds wore on. "I'm listening." The eyes narrowed and Cubic was drawn aback at the gaze's intensity. Beginning to realize why it was that this one of his clone brothers was a Commander,

"What we wanted to say..." Jinx began nervously with quite a bit of fear in his voice. "Is that we were responsible for locking down the pod." He interrupted beating around the confession would only make it worse. Better to get the words out now and get the sentence then wait and squirm for the Commander to wheedle it out on his own. He'd made a terrible mistake. One he'd no doubt pay his life for. But he wouldn't go down like a coward. He'd go out with his head held high and eyes looking straight at the firing squad.

"General?"

He blinked out of the sound of his own voice which had been chanting a death sentence in his mind's eye at the sound of the Commander voice, waiting on the General to respond as if he had posed a question.

"The slight was done to you Commander it is only natural I give you full authority on the matter." He swallowed for all it was worth he would have preferred the Generals verdict to the Commanders who was far more intimidating than the General. The verdict was to wait however, the ship which had been moving at a steady pace halted suddenly and sharply nearly throwing Cubic off his feet with a jolt. A red alarm blared causing his spine to stiffen at attention his hand grabbing for the blaster strapped to his back.

"We're being shot at general." Commander Wolffe was half way up before General Koon stopped him. "I believe it best you rest Commander."

"But the battle…"

"I have your battle tactics do I not Commander."

"Yes, yes of course but…"

"I am needed on the bridge Commander. It would be best if you remained here there is no need to push yourself, the war will still be here when you recover."

"He's right sir…" Cubic spoke up, "You're in no shape to fight." Let alone be walking around…Was the Commander really so careless with his own health?

"We may be boarded."

"Then we'll stay by the doors sir."

-0-0-0-

The battle had been won. It took several hours and many downed enemy fighters but the fighting was over. All that was left was the mop up of lone fighters that hadn't retreated to their escaping flagships in time. Wolffe stood in his crisp white uniform hands folded behind his back as he gazed at the blinking holographic displays before him turning on his heel as he heard the doors to the bridge open.

"General, the enemy is in full retreat, we've won the day."

"Indeed we have."

"So what happens to us now?" The trooper Cubic who had entered with several others behind the Jedi Master stepped up standing at attention his helmet resting in one arm. The other trooper whose name was Jinx, a communications officer, stepped up next to his accomplice standing in attention as well.

So it had come to this. After being rehydrated with Oxygen Coric had released him and he was able to rejoin the end phase of the engagement. All that being said and done his mind lingered as to why General Koon hadn't had the troopers executed for treason or at least locked them up in the brig till after he was ready to pass judgement. If they were truly making an attempt it would make little sense for the General to even let them take part in the assault. But if there ever was a time to make an example of those that tried to hurt their brothers it was now.

"Why?"

"It was meant to be a prank. A very funny prank." Jinx answered nervously as he looked around the room now filled with troopers of all stations. They all had heard the rumors and now were unsure as to what they should be doing with what they knew. Protocol stated the two troopers be executed but Cubic and Jinx could never had done such a thing.

"I'm not laughing."

"It wasn't meant for you Sir."

"I would hope not."

"I we never..." The Commanders growing frown deepened.

"What Cubic is trying to say Commander is that we had no idea that placing a pod in maintenance mode would terminate life support."

"Then what was placing the pod in maintenance mode aimed to accomplish?"

"We thought it be funny if Boost missed a shift."

"And woke up to a maintenance droid." Jinx hurried in adding.

"That is the most ridiculous prank I have ever heard off." The troopers that looked on weren't quite sure what to make of the answer. It wavered between sheer ridiculousness and a lie that was worse than bantha poodoo.

"But it's true sir. We didn't mean any harm we just wanted to get back at Boost for all the things he's been pulling on the shinies." What? Boost had been messing with the shinies? If there was one thing Wolffe disliked it was slapping around cadets just because one was more experienced and could. It set a bad example and if the jokes and men in question went too far they could verge on inhumanity and downright cruelty.

"Is that true Boost?" Boost who had just walked in several moments ago wanting to have a word with Wolffe paused as he saw the gathered troopers and tense atmosphere. "Is what true Commander?" He said snapping into attention.

"Have you been giving kriff to the shinies."

"I…" Boost relaxed his stance as he looked around the room rubbing his neck sheepishly and then looking down at the metal hull of the ship. "I uh…may have messed around with them a bit, but it was all in good fun…"

After that hell hole on Abregado none of them were the same but it hadn't crossed Wolffe's mind that unlike himself his friends could be handling their loss in very different ways. Wolffe's eyes hardened as he looked around the room meeting the eyes of as many troopers as he could. "Is this true men? Has it all been in good fun?" He held the troopers gazes as he waited for someone to step up. "You have my permission to speak freely on the matter and you will not be punished for doing so and incriminating a high ranking officer."

"I don't know if what he did is incriminating, sir." One of the troopers with his hair dyed blonde stepped up. "But I didn't find it funny when he grabbed my slacks and spare towel from the shower leaving me butt naked in there."

"I didn't find him dying my hair funny." Another blonde clone stepped up, this one from the main sensory array. The confession of the first no doubt giving him the nerve to speak up.

"I woke up to find some sort of alien looking salamander species in my bed, sir." Another trooper spoke up.

"He set my pods wake up alarm system for O'twohundred , I don't know how he managed to do that sir but it wasn't very funny waking up three hours into my sleep rotation." Several more troopers spoke up. The pranks ran from annoying to downright ridiculous and though none of them were in any way cruel Wolffe could see why it was that everyone was fed up with Boost's antics.

Rubbing the bridge of his nose he sighed as the voices rose and then dwindled when he made it clear that he wished to speak. "If all this is true why wasn't I informed of all this?"

"You're his friend." One of the troopers spoke up. "You'd just take his side."

Wolffe wasn't sure what to say to that but he wasn't happy at the notion of being accused of playing favorites. He didn't play favorites, and it was time that he made clear to this new squadron of men under his command what it meant to be Wolffe pack. "I may be his friend but I am also your Commanding officer. If any of you have issues with any of the other troopers here and can't solve it on your own you come to me. It's my job to make sure that this ship runs smoothly and that's exactly what I'll do. Am I clear?"

"Sir yes Sir!"

"Boost, your actions are not worthy of Wolffe squad. I want you to go and think on this. I'm grounding you to the ship until further discussion and notice. No more pranks am I clear."

"Yes sir." Boost replied dully. This wasn't good. He would have to speak with Boost about all this later. After hearing all the complaints he wasn't surprised at the actions of the two troopers who stood before him but he couldn't dismiss them either. Any number of his brothers could have been in that pod and on the receiving end of a very bad prank not even meant for them and this he couldn't overlook.

"Who came up with this pod prank idea?" The two troopers before him shifted the hopefulness in their eyes dimming as they glanced at each other and then back at him.

"I did sir, I'm not asking for my life but it was my idea. Cubic shouldn't have to pay for it."

"You may have come up with it but the both of you will share the consequences."

"What! No please you can't just kill him! This was all my idea, force I'm such a moron I can't believe it's going to end like this."

"Who said anything about killing the both of you?"

"We nearly killed you Commander! What else would happen to us?"

"Well for starters since all this could have been avoided if you actually read the reg manual on regulating sleeping pods, I'm thinking of assigning quite a bit of reg manuals to the both of you. There all very long and dull I'm sure, and many of the troopers would rather not have to go through each and every detail so why don't the both of you summarize them for me?"

"Wait what you're serious?"

"Am I smiling?"

"What no that's not what we, I meant, I meant we're getting off that easy?"

"Easy? I'm counting about two hundred reg manuals each and that's without the mess hall rotations you two will be running for the next several months. Since you two seem to have so much time on your hands and don't know what to do with it I may as well help you out. The rest of you, that was some fine flying out there switch rotations accordingly and get some rest. Dismissed." Most of the troopers filed out and Wolffe was left with Genrall Koon on the bridge. He shifted nervously from one foot to the next not quite sure whether all he said was well put or whether he was even allowed to lecture his men with his General present. "I'm sorry for that sir. I shouldn't have spoken out of turn it should have been you."

An amused look crossed the General's face and another look which looked positive but one he couldn't quite identify. "On the contrary Commander, you spoke well and your compassion gives you much credit and me much pride."

"Ah thank you sir, though I'm not sure what I did that was so overly compassionate. Reading reg manuals is a living hell for us troopers." He waited for Koon to speak but the Kel Dor merely hummed under his breath as he passed the bridge looking out into the viewport before turning to go. "This was a finely planned out battle Commander."

"Thank you sir."

"If you have need of me I will be in my rooms meditating."

"Of course sir."

And with that the General left the bridge leaving Wolffe to himself in the vast expanse of the beeping and blinking monitors as he looked out the viewport wondering what it was that he had done right this time around.

* * *

Alright so to clear up some things for those of u who were confused on my take on Wolffe. Why is Wolffe so timid and ooc ? Well the truth is he's not ooc. In the first few episodes when we see Wolffe he is really timid. If u notice, his assessments of the situation are all sharp and accurate especially for a non force user but he is still only giving updates on the situation and not actually taking control. Koon is giving out all the commands and Wolffe is just following them. Even in the pod Wolffe is largely focused on Koon to give him orders and direction. Now what's my take on this from his transformation from season 1 to season 2? My take is time and space. In the first season wolffe is fresh off of kamino that means that while he knows he will be expected to take command he's still not sure at the how and when. When you look at the kamino chapters the Commanders are all still largely monitored by overseers so even though they can lead they don't know exactly how because there is always someone above them in rank telling them what to do. To continue Koon is a very laid back Jedi master letting his Commander assess things and giving him alot of space. This would confuse a Commander who is super smart knows that he has to make the overseers happy and is quite unsure at what to do when he's placed under the Command of a general who doesn't give many orders. My guess is over the course of the first season the leeway and general positive atmosphere gives Wolffe the support he needs to feel secure in the post of command and become the awesome self assured slightly cocky and still super smart commander who's continually sent out on rescue missions to save everyone else's collective butts.

With all that being said it's quite surprising that he even is keeping it all together.


	2. Aftermath

Ch2: Aftermath

It was O'twentytwo hundred, the chrono beeped twice and then twice more to get his attention. He sighed running a hand over his face as he read the time on the chrono. He'd been at it for a good seventy two hours. Blood pounded behind his ears as he gripped the edges of the war table the holo displays shifting yet again initiating another ground assault simulation. He'd been at it for far longer than he had needed but the thought of sleep though ever present in thought was still ever elusive in action. It had been a week after the pod incident and he still felt little closure on the incident.

He sighed turning at the sound of someone snapping at attention not having heard the doors to the bridge open. "Wolffe."

"Sinker. How's Boost holding up?"

"He's fine Commander. A bit glum at the prospect of no more giving hell to the shinies but he's getting by."

"You can tell him I'll put him back on the ground the battle after the next." Wolffe folded his arms across his chest leaning back against the table as Sinker did the same against one of the monitors.

"Yeah I'll tell him, but that's actually not why I'm here."

"Oh?"

"Yeah General Koon wants to see you. He's in his room meditating last I checked."

Wolffe straightened at this. "Then I'd best not keep him waiting." It took several minutes to reach the Generals quarters. He paused briefly by the door, if the General was meditating there was no need for an interruption he could wait. He only needed to wait several more moments before the door slid open allowing him entrance into the spacious chamber beyond. The Kel Dor was sitting in lotus position regarding him curiously before motioning for Wolffe to join him.

Wolffe obliged settling crossed legged and in lotus position across from the Jedi Master waiting for him to speak his eyes flickering between the General and the viewport filled with star system twinkling beyond. "How are you Commander?"

"I'm fine sir, am I here for a debriefing?"

"No you are not." The answer confused him as to why his presence was requested. His confusion was noted by the General who raised a hand to his rebreather mask in thought. The moments ticked by and Wolffe spent the time studying the mostly bare room as he waited for the Jedi Master to speak.

"Tell me when was it that you slept last, Commander."

"Some time ago sir."

"I see."

"It's not an issue is it? I am still quite capable of being deployed in this state."

"Indeed you are."

"I don't understand."

"I am here if you wish to speak with me."

"General?"

"Your men are worried for you Commander, and they have full right to be. If something is bothering you Wolffe, I am here to listen."

"I am fine sir."

"To act fine and to be fine are two distinctly different things. Tell me Wolffe what would you do if one of you brothers was neglecting their health?"

"I'm not quite sure I follow sir."

"Something is bothering you Commander. It is my wish that you speak to me off it."

"Is…is that an order sir?" A sense of discomfort overcame Wolffe, discomfort and dread. General Koon had never explicitly ordered him to do anything. He had always been free to choose and now that that choice seemed to be slipping away from his grasp it left a sense of betrayal in the pit of his stomach. He swallowed the lump of panic gathering in his throat thickly, he had no right to feel this way, his General had a right to pry into his mental state if he so wished. Psych evaluations were a regulation for a reason. A troopers mind was just as important as his blaster and as a Commander his own evaluation needed to be without reproach, if he slipped he could put a lot of his brothers in danger. And this danger could mean certain death.

"It is not an order Wolffe, I am merely concerned." The expression on the Jedi Masters face left a feeling of dread which permeated and coursed throughout his body. He was tired of running tired of fighting against himself, tired of sleepless nights and waking up to nightmares. Maybe if he voiced his fears…the Jedi Master would know what to do…wouldn't he?

He paused attempting to reign in his feelings as he spoke. "It's the sleeping pods, General. Every time I close my eyes…I…" As the words spilled out he found he couldn't stop them and that the panic and fear in his voice only grew even as he tried to calm himself. "Every time I enter one… I'm sorry that I'm not like you. I can't forget what happened. I can't forget the deaths. I can't, can't forget their faces the expressions on them when they died. I tried sleeping in the med bay. But my presence causes too much of a disturbance and the smell of bacta and antiseptic… I just can't go back there." By the time he was done he found that he couldn't meet the General's even gaze focusing instead on the hands shaking on his knees before him.

"I see. And when you slept in the med bay?"

"It was…better, I didn't feel like… I was running out of air to breath…"

"I see."

"I'm sorry for the trouble General, but I assure you I will still maintain my attention and strategies at peak efficiency."

"I am sure you will." The prolonged pause caused him to look up at the Generals contemplative yet seemingly saddened face. Why his General felt so he wasn't sure but he hoped that he had indeed been performing at peak efficiency. Though he felt he was perhaps the General felt otherwise and it was the General's opinion that counted in the end.

"Do you know Commander, that we have four rooms aboard this flagship for visiting Jedi or Commanders?" He was surprised at the shift to the conversation but he was thankful for it.

"Yes we also have a good five hundred and fifty sleeping pods not counting the ones in reserve."

"I see. Tell me Wolffe if you were informed that Commander Cody or Commander Thorn suffered from an ailment such as yours how would you proceed?"

"Well according to the reg manuals so long as the Jedi and dignitaries are accommodated the rooms functions can be altered as the General or Overseeing Commander see fit."

"I believe we have resolved the issue then."

"I don't understand…"

Koon smiled if kindly. "I believe you do." Wolffe's brow furrowed as exhaustion tugged at the edges of his senses. Perhaps several hours ago he could have made the connection with a more objective perspective but even if he did dare make the connection it was still highly unheard off for a clone even if he was a Commander to receive privileges such as these. "I must decline." He stilled his shaking hands resting on his knees lowering his head in a semi formal bow. "If it were any other Commander the solution itself would no doubt be only temporary. It is not right that I put myself in a position above my men. In the end a Commanders place is with his brothers I will attempt to alleviate my fears with a more focused conviction. I am only sorry to have troubled you with my own personal insecurities General."

He expected a response only to feel a four digit hand land on his shoulder. His eyes widened as he lifted his head to only to find the General kneeling beside him an intense and troubled expression on his face. "Sir?"

"Wolffe, I want you to listen carefully to my words. I value your life as much as I value the life of any other sentient being."

"But I'm a clone, I'm replaceable Sir." And there it was the crux of the fear of all clones. Many would not voice it but they all knew it. Even he knew it and though he was lucky he landed a General who valued the lives of his men it did not need to be the case. Clones no matter how expensive or time consuming to create, were still easily replaceable.

"Not to me you are not. You may carry the same face as thousands of others but you are Wolffe are you not?"

"I fail to see how…" His words were cut off as the General put more pressure on his shoulder.

"You do not fail to see, you have merely not been shown yet. Come will you join me for a meditation?" Wolffe nodded numbly trying to work through the haze and the incessant pounding that was forming behind his eyes. Wolffe had only done this one other time. Once when he had enquired what it was like to meditate and commune with the force. He hadn't communed with the force when the Jedi master had shown him the meditative pose and ran him through the steps of basic meditation. But the experience was interesting enough to him and it was highly reminiscing of both several basic techniques for stress release and a form of preparation for the receiving end of an interrogation. The General moved to sit directly across from him. This had not happened the last time around and Wolffe wondered whether it was a different meditation technique he would be shown this time around. The General settled crossed legged before him resting hands on knees in a pose Wolffe himself was sitting. He waited for further instructions vaguely wondering what he was supposed to do when the Kel Dor spoke.

"Close your eyes Commander." He obliged breathing in and out as the General had shown him the last time. He cleared his sluggish mind as he continued breathing in and out, he continued long enough that he was about to ask what else it was that he was supposed to be doing when he felt something almost like the ghost of the Generals hand brushing his mind. His eyes snapped open in alarm only to find that General Koon was still sitting in lotus position though the pressure, brushing just the edge of his skull was still there.

"Do not be alarmed, it is my mind that you feel Commander." Wolffe saw something akin to a smile cross the Kel Dor's face as he closed his eyes once more trying to steady his breathing at the thought of anyone being able to brush another mind through mere thought alone. He had studied the Jedi and their abilities. Reading about their power was one thing but to experience it first hand was an entirely different thing altogether. He resumed his breathing as he felt the General's mind hover about his own and then it was gone plunging him into a world of light color and feeling all not his own. He gasped as the bright lights focused showing him different spectrums of brilliance. Some were a bright red and grey, others a dull blue and yellow still others a brilliant green. The lights shifted and what he had thought were hundreds of different species were all familiar faces, all one face. His heart plummeted and soared as it beat wildly and erratically beyond his mind cold sweat forming at the base of his neck as he gazed outwardly from the viewport into the twinkling galaxy and the millions of lights beyond. They were alive! The galaxy was alive! He had never seen anything so beautiful in his life. All quite suddenly he found himself plummeting as darkness clawed at his mind drowning and suffocating him in the cold vastness of space. He struggled against it as it dragged him down. Then there was darkness.

When he blinked his eyes open he found himself lying flat on the cold metal hull of the ship with General Koon peering down at him. "Are you alright Commander? I must apologize I did not take into account your exhaustion and may have overwhelmed your senses."

"What was that General?" He pushed himself up as best he could into a sitting position the room swimming before him as general Koon gripped his shoulder to steady him. "I could see the men! They were all different! And the galaxy could you see it? It was alive!" Try as he might he couldn't keep the awe and trepidation at the sheer beauty from his voice.

General Koon chuckled. "There is no need for description; I felt you're thought's Commander. What I showed you Wolffe was one of the many ways the Galaxy can be seen through the force."

"But how!? I am no Jedi!"

An amused look crossed the Kel Dor's face. "No Commander you are not, what you saw was my mind and how I perceive those around me through the force."

Wolffe's eyes widened. "That was…that was…" He wasn't quite sure what to say. He blamed it on his exhaustion but after a seventy two hour rotation and that, he found both his mind and his proper protocol demeanor wavering between reality and that of the realm of the impossible. But through it all there were no words to describe what he had seen. What he had felt.

General Koon smiled. "So you see Commander you are not all the same." The oneness the beauty of it all, it was staggering never had he thought so much beauty was possible in so simple an act. But he had known he had always known that every one of his brothers was different. He just never truly realized how different.

"Perhaps now you will be less inclined to neglect your health Commander. Despite what you or the other clones may think you cannot be so easily replaced to me as you may have assumed."

The looming dread of sleep still permeated the air about him but it was a comfort to know that even in such a vast darkness there was still so much light. And even in the vast nothingness of space there was still life. And that life was worth fighting even dying for.

"Thank you sir for showing me...that…" After that spectacle he wasn't sure what to think other than the dire need to sleep and then to think some more on what it was he had seen. He rose to his feet as the General did so. He was nearly out the door before flicker of curiosity crossed his mind, he paused. "General?"

"Yes Commander?"

"Thank you again sir for showing me the force and if I might ask what…what color am I? How do you see me…in the force I mean?"

"You are a gold and amber, Commander."

"Thank you sir." Wolffe frowned trying to picture himself through the force and then promptly decided against it. The force was for Jedi so long as he had his blaster it be fine, they'd all be fine. He gave a brief and proper salute before sliding the door behind him and making a beeline for some long needed rest. Plo Koon merely smiled as the brilliant fire of sharp gold and liquid amber retreated before his vision a fire bright and brilliant in its beauty its loyalty and fierceness. In the end the clones were not the same, not the same at all.


	3. Interim General,General Krell, PreUmbara

Ch3: Interim General, Pre Umbara

"Commander," he shifted turning towards the sound his eyes instinctively cracking open as he suppressed a groan. It took several seconds for the haze of sleep to recede and his cybernetic eye to whirl into focus but when it did so he shot up into a sitting position so fast blood pounded behind his ears at such a movement before receding into a dull throb behind his eyes.

"General?" The Jedi Master stood in the center of the room inspecting it in that ever slow and controlled way of his, pausing at the several mementos that littered the desk of the otherwise bare and standard issued room aboard the crew deck.

"Is everything alright? What's going on?" The General did sometimes go out of his way to find Wolffe rather than calling the Commander to his position, an action that sometimes made little sense to Wolffe in terms of both the command chain and general efficiency but if he had any misgivings he kept them to himself. Now however his confusion was evident as was a fear that something had somehow gone terribly wrong. The only times Wolffe woke to his General's face was when he was gravely injured which he at the moment was not.

"I must apologize that I interrupted your rest, however everything is fine Wolffe." The Jedi Master tilted his head slightly in contemplation. "I merely came to bid you farewell. The situation on Alderaan has become quite severe and I am needed on the surface for negotiations." Under other circumstance it would have no doubt been General Kenobi down there for the negotiations but he was tied up leading an assault on Umbara and he could see how his General was the next best choice.

"Have the separatists attacked already?"

"Indeed they have. Master Krell held them off with his men but the final assault proved too overwhelming. I am sorry Wolffe there were no survivors. Wolffe swallowed heavily at the implications. Some of his men had joined the foreword assault on Alderaan and now they were dead not to mention General Krell's entire division of troopers. The number was staggering, the battle must have been brutal but unless he was misinformed about the separatist numbers there were enough troopers to have at least vied for a stalemate.

He nodded numbly following the Generals gaze out the viewport. "I understand, should I begin preparing for an aerial bombardment?" The two stayed in silence for what seemed like several minutes before the Jedi Master spoke. "That would be prudent Commander. General Krell has expressed interest in leading this battalion while I am negotiating."

"I understand sir. I will begin preparations immediately."

"Very good Commander."

"Ah sir?" Koon had already turned to leave but paused at the inquiry. "Any last orders before you depart?" The negotiations could take hours it would be best to ask for any final instructions on how the General wished for him to proceed.

This response seemed to amuse Koon who chuckled lightly. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do Wolffe and I think all shall be well."

"Right sir, of course sir." The General gone Wolffe made his way over to his chest of armor. His hand lingered over his standard command uniform but at length he reached for his armor and blaster pistols. It wouldn't do to be parading around in uniform when there was a battle raging down below. Besides they might be requested as ground support it would be best he be prepared for anything.

Fully armored save the helmet he inspected himself in the mirror brushing the stray strands of unruly hair into place before running a hand lightly over his scar probing at the healed tissue before running over several modules with his eye to ensure it still functioned at peak efficiency. Satisfied he straightened into casual military pose and made his way to the bridge.

True to his word General Plo Koon was nowhere to be seen. He took his post by the bridge's holographic display of the world below studying it. "Comet, what's the situation down there?"

"The ground forces have been decimated the soldiers we sent over included. The Organas are holding a line with their houses militia. More Alderaanian troops are inbound to hold the line ETA thirty minutes."

"Very good. Have there been any updates on the negotiations?"

"Well the ceasefire has been officially announced sir. It's to hold for twenty four hours until further notice."

"We'd best be prepared then."

"I'd wager this knife those seppies won't last six hours."

"Only six eh Knifer? That's giving them a wide berth "I'd wager four. Those seppies are pretty trigger happy for the bucket of bolts they are."

Wolffe chuckled at Sinkers enthusiasm. "I wouldn't be so sure. The invasion force is too small to be significant. The actual attack was a distraction no doubt. The separatists can't really believe they could take on a Republic base world. Especially one so heavily invested in the interests of the Republic."

"Sir, there's a ship inbound. Not one of ours. It's registered as belonging to a General Pong Krell"

"Very good, clear him for landing. He is to be our interim General while General Plo Koon is on Alderaan."

"Yes sir." Several moments passed before Wolffe turned to face his men hands clasped behind his back.

"General Krell is a well respected Master of the Jedi Order. However he is not General Plo Koon so I expect all laxes in protocol under General Koon to be suspended until further notice or his return. Am I understood?"

"Yes sir."

"Good now look sharp men and do your General proud, I want General Krell giving a good report on the 104's. Let's give General Koon something to brag about."

"Sir yes sir." All the men straightened at their posts just as the doors to the bridge hissed open revealing an alien about two meters tall of the Besalisk species. The General looked around at the busy stations frowning to himself.

"Welcome aboard the Talon General Krell." Wolffe said snapping at attention.

The General said nothing at first giving the bridge another look around before frowning self assuredly and folding his four arms. "CC-3636 is there a reason why this unit hasn't been mobilized for an attack?" The use of his standard issued name shouldn't have taken him slightly aback but for some reason it did. He pushed the thought aside; perhaps it was easier for this species to remember numbers over names.

"Yes sir, so long as the ceasefire stands any hostile actions on our part could put the entire negotiations in jeopardy."

"Just like a clone." The words were spat out as the General glared at him. "Has it perhaps crossed that simple mind of yours that the separatists may break this cease fire first?"

"If they do we will be ready, sir."

"I will decide when you will be ready to deploy CC-3636 is that clear?!"

"Sir yes sir." His General was a strange one to be sure. He had been planning to prepare for the possibility of a breach during the ceasefire but he had wanted to wait at least an hour before doing so to gauge the situation.

"Mobilize the men for an attack. The moment anything goes wrong down there and I mean anything. We attack fast and we attack hard." So it was one of those Generals, he couldn't say he minded the blood thirst especially since there was a high chance that the negotiations were to go wrong but the aggressive nature of the General was a sharp contrast to General Koon and it was getting the men a bit uneasy.

"Yes sir."

"You seem to have your men in order, that's more than I can say for some Commanders but don't think this is a compliment because it's not. Keeping ones men in line is the duty of any Commander so don't get think you'll be impressing me with doing the bare minimum. Am I understood?"

"Sir yes, sir." The General scowled at something in the distance before making his way off the bridge not turning as he went. "Report me of any and I mean any changes in the situation, am I clear?"

"Yes, sir." A good half off the men seemed to deflate breathing a sigh of relief the moment the doors of this bridge closed on the General.

"Damn that guy is intense." Comet whispered to Red.

Wolffe sighed relaxing the fists that he hadn't realized he had balled at his sides. "I'm sure he's an acquired taste, everyone get back to your terminals. Sinker spread the word to the men to keep a tight lid on anything that isn't rotation related. Tell them they'll be time to blow off steam after General Plo Koon returns. I have a feeling this General doesn't take anything outside of protocol lightly."

"Yes sir, on it."

"Red monitor ground comm chatter."

"Comet monitor the situation on Alderaan. If the separatists make a move inform me off it first am I clear?"

"Yes sir." The men turned to their stations and Wolffe was left in stark silence. The lack of chatter made the room feel larger and colder than it was. He turned on his heel he had a feeling that he was going to need to monitor everything to keep the general pleased, personally.

-0-0-0-

It took several hours of inspections but by the time Wolffe was down with his rounds he was satisfied. Most of the ship was in order, he had to make a visit to the barracks to have the men clear out the mess hall but for the most part everything was accounted for. His shock troops were mobilized for a ground assault but though the negotiations thus far had been peaceful there was little headway made in the terms of surrender. The separatists were stalling, for what he wasn't sure especially since there was virtually no way for them to get reinforcements. He supposed maybe it was to stir a commotion in the senate cause panic and put even more pressure on the senators from the red tape that seemed to slow all political decisions and votes in the senate. On the other hand this attack could be used purely as a demoralizing strategy; if a core world and staunch supporter such as Alderaan could be attacked and held for so long then the Republic could and would be seen as weak and ineffective. But that train of thought really was not his jurisdiction and though if asked he had quite some things to say on the matter of all the bureaucracy and nonsense going on in the senate he wisely kept his tongue. His job had to do with the war effort and not with useless politics which had been making little headway anywhere lately. He supposed all things considered he was actually quite lucky to be stationed where he could actually do something. How those senators sat still all day with little to show for it was not something he felt he wanted to know.

His comm beeped interrupting his train of thought and he instinctively snapped to attention as he responded. "General."

"CC-3636 I require your presence in the crew deck immediately."

"Yes sir." Wolffe wondered what it was Krell was displeased about, last he checked the Jedi and Ambassador suites were all in top order but he made his way there anyway at a brisk pace.

He found the Besalisk Generall standing before one of the smaller rooms arms folded as he glared at the room as if it had personally offended him. "What are these articles doing here?"

His eyes widened as he realized that the General was standing at the entrance to the room he had been using ever since that pod incident. Hurrying his stride he took in the room silently relieved that as far as things went it did appear more as if someone had just been careless and dumped several items in the first room they found over it seeming as if someone was actually using it. "I will remove them immediately."

"See that you do. I would hate to think any of the clones have been receiving privileges they are not entitled to."

"Yes sir, of course not sir." He couldn't say he was surprised though he was silently kicking himself for having forgotten to do his research on the General. That way he would have known what to expect and cleared out the room well before the General even set foot on the ship. The General glared at him expectantly. Keying in a frequency he tapped in a request to have a cleaning droid clear out the room. Normally he'd do it himself or ask one of his men but he didn't want the General to have any reason to take his displeasure out on anyone else. General Koon had been very generous by letting him take a room, however how General Krell new exactly where to look was beyond him. It was like the General was actively trying to find something to be displeased about. But it took all kinds and after several more minutes of glaring the Jedi Master turned on his heal and stalked out.

-0-0-0-

The bridge was filled with a dead silence as he entered it an hour or so later after moving his things to the barracks, almost feeling the high strung nerves of his men in the air. General Krell was standing on the bridge glaring at the viewport as the men all monitored the terminals. He was about to make his way to the holographic display of Alderaan when the General Krell turned sharply to face him causing him to pause mid stride and snap to attention. The General seemed quite displeased something that Wolffe was starting to think was his usual mood. They stood in silence as the General paced twice before the viewport before breaking the silence. "Tell me CC-3636 is there a reason why there are new men running the bridge?"

"We have rotations sir."

"I see, and how long is each of these rotations?"

"The average rotation is twelve hours sir."

"Twelve hours!" The Besalisk bellowed causing every man on the bridge save himself to flinch. "I've known temple younglings who've had rotations far longer than that! Twelve hours! I can't believe this! What was the purpose of your creation if you can't even function beyond the average temple youngling! Are you trying to lose this war for the republic?!"

Wolffe had thought the General would make his displeasure known on another trivial thing or other so he was quite prepared to respond in his usual standard and official manner. But this? He wasn't quite sure what to make off it nor how to respond. He could feel heat rising up at the base of his spine and traveling through his arms leaving them weak as the words of the General seemed to eat into his very being.

"I see that Master Koon was quite lax with you all. Or perhaps he thought you all incompetent because you're nothing but clones. CC-3636 make it known that while I'm aboard this ship rotations are at the very least at twenty four hours each. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir." Wolffe bit out his voice sounding weak to his ears.

"I'm sorry CC-3636 what was that?"

"Sir yes sir!" He snapped to attention as he did so feeling the fearful eyes of the men not quite sure what to make of this whole situation.

"Very good. Now get back to your posts. All of you, I want you clones all ready to be deployed at moment's notice am I clear?"

"Sir yes sir!"

"Why is the Commander the only one answering me? Is there something wrong with you all? I said I want you all ready to be deployed at moment's notice is that clear?"

"Sir yes sir." The bridge answered in one voice and seemingly placated the General left the bridge.

"Hey are you alright?" Wolffe looked up not having realized that he had sagged against the holomap using it as support blood having hit his knees after the General left. "Everything's fine get back to the comms." He said straightening but Sapper ignored him his face twisting in anger. "Did you see that? He's treating you like a piece of kriff. How could you let him do that to you!? It looked like he was controlling you with the force like a puppet!"

"He's the General he's just doing his job."

Ever frowned at his terminal, "That didn't look like he was doing his job sir, it looked like he was trying to make you lick his boots."

"Ever!"

"I'm serious Commander, I've never seen a Jedi treat another clone like that before let alone a Commander."

"I can't believe he kicked you out of your room." Blaster added in.

"Who told you that?" He snapped. The troopers all looked guiltily at each other before Garic spoke up. "Coric, said he saw you dumping your supply locker in the barracks."

Wolffe sighed. He was starting to grow a healthy dislike for the General as well but he was the General. It wasn't like Wolffe could disobey a direct order and it wasn't like the Jedi Master was ordering anything anyway. Just taking out his displeasure on them, which he seemed to have an unhealthy amount to go around. "Tell the men to lengthen their shift by three hours and take rotation breaks when they can. I don't want anyone collapsing from exhaustion."

"I'm on it sir." Ever said punching out a few commands on the display before sending out new orders.

"How are the negotiations going?"

"There's been no movement from the separatists yet. Their Ambassador isn't agreeing to the terms of peace though."

"Update me if there are any changes."

"Understood sir." Receiving the affirmative from Ever Wolffe made his way from the bridge.

-0-0-0-

It was a good twenty four hours later when Wolffe finally entered the mess hall. The twenty four hours that had passed rang with both the Besalisk's extreme displeasure and his great ire something the Jedi Master seemed to have both of in abundance. The alien had issues with almost everything. From the way Wolffe ran the ship all the way to the state of the walkers and blaster equipment which Wolffe himself had priorly inspected. In this short period of time General Krell also managed to insult and scare half to death almost every single one of his troopers which there were five hundred and thirty two off including a droid ambassador which General Krell ordered to be scrapped for its loose circuits. Throughout all this time there had been little headway in the negotiations and though no one was saying it, it was quite clear to Wolffe that the ambassador was no doubt stalling merely to keep any more reinforcements from reaching any of the other frontline sector under attack, most specifically no doubt Umbara. He'd been contacted by General Koon several hours ago, who gave a short debriefing on the state of affairs but it was quite clear that the negotiations were still to go on for some time.

It had been a good several hours since he'd last eaten and after a thirty one hour rotation he was more exhausted than he felt he should be. But to be fair the last time he'd ran a straight forty eight hour shift when on the flagship was only several weeks after the pod incident. When General Koon made it clear to him that he didn't need every possibly strategy but only the four best ones including several contingencies the amount of time he spent on battle plan simulations shortened considerably. All this being said he still spent a good eight hours running through several possible ground incursions on Alderaan.

The mess hall was filled with several officers who kept their voices at a standard. The lack of general rowdiness and openness of the mess halls was refreshing but after getting himself a platter of food and settling by himself at a table he found he was missing the usual chatter which helped distract him and liven up the usual and mundane day to day jargon.

Three bites into the meal his comm rang. Force couldn't anything be normal just this once? "What is it Comet."

"Its General Krell sir he wants to deploy us effective immediate."

"Wait what why?" He shot up like the other officers all at attention dropping their respective cutlery before scrambling off to their stations. "I'm not sure sir, something about the best interests of the Republic."

"Kriff I'll be right there." Wolffe turned his jog into a run. This wasn't good, as long as General Koon was on Alderaan negotiating a peace treaty the Republic couldn't attack. It would not only set a bad precedent but it was also against regulations.

He reached the Bridge in record time only to see General Krell throw one of his officers, Red across the room.

"General what is the meaning of this?" The shock of seeing a Jedi Master preceded all common logic but as a Commander it was his job to be prepared for anything. "Comet get Red to the med bay."

"Yes sir!"

"Ah Commander so good of you to join us I was about to have this entire division court martialed for insubordination. Perhaps you can keep them in line and remind them of the meaning of loyalty and the consequences that follow of breaching such things." The Jedi loomed over him menacingly the air charged with displeasure laced with anger.

"What's going on?" No point in showing his cards better let the General explain himself.

"The war is going on Commander in case you haven't noticed. The separatists are quite clearly not interested in negotiations. There is only one way to go about it. A direct attack."

Wolffe agreed with the assessment, the negotiations were stalling and he had enough fire power to order an aerial bombardment decimating the rebellion but that wasn't what stayed his hand. Before he left General Koon had ordered him not to do anything the Kel Dor himself wouldn't do and ordering an aerial strike during negotiations was not something he would do. Not only that but the negotiations were occurring at the behest of the Jedi Council and no General could give an order directly against one of theirs. "With all due respect General, according to regulation manual two hundred thirty two I may not act upon those orders because they act against the direct interests of the Jedi council."

"Are you questioning my orders Commander?" The air became charged and oppressive but Wolffe held his ground. So long as regulations stood both their hands were tied and the Jedi Master new it.

"No sir, I am merely stating that I may not act without the direct authority of the council."

"I speak for the council CC-3636." The Besalisk bellowed. "By questioning my orders you are questioning the orders of the Jedi Council itself. I should have you court martialed for this!"

"I understand sir."

"You understand nothing." The Jedi master gave him a sharp prod with his finger causing Wolffe to take a step back from the sheer force behind prod but otherwise remained unmoving.

"Listen to me Commander I demand you order your men to make a ground assault now! This is for the greater good of the Republic!"

"I will do so gladly General, if you speak for the Council. An affirmation from even one of the Council members would be enough."

"You are testing my patience Commander!" Wolffe thought the Jedi Master would push the order till Wolffe caved in but the Jedi Master merely yelled in frustration siphoning off into a rage about bureaucracy and the imbecility of the Jedi Council and its ignorance of the truth. Wolffe stood in attention as his men flinched at the end of every other angered sentence. After a good several minutes when it appeared the Jedi master was ranting to himself more than anyone else Wolffe tactfully left the bridge though this time with purpose.

Making his way out and passing a good distance from the bridge before doing so he keyed a frequency into his comm waiting for a response. After several more tries he punched a nearby wall of the hallway in frustration. General Koon had put his communicator on hold. The message could be read in hours at best and he didn't want to leave anything that could be used against him as an act of insubordination but General Krell's actions were making even someone like him uneasy. He could understand displeasure, he could understand a blood thirsty General that respected and expected only results and the best ones at that but never had he been under the command of a General who felt as unstable as General Krell. And like unstable troopers an unstable General was a danger not only to himself but to his men. Wolffe had done his fair share of research on both Jedi and Sith and whatever Krell was he was most definitely not acting even remotely within the constraints of the Jedi code.

He commed in the frequency once more but he got nothing. He could always contact Commander Thorn or Commander Cody the commanders all having each other frequencies but he doubted they or their Generals could be of any assistance especially since the both of them were running campaigns of their own. Keying in for General Koon one last time he swallowed as he pressed a key to leave a holomessage. "General Koon this is Commander Wolffe, I…" He paused. "It's imperative that this message reaches you…please comm me when you get the chance…" He swallowed not quite sure what else to say and pressed to end the message when he heard the hiss of a door opening in a nearby room.

"Commander."

"Coric, how are the men."

"High strung sir."

"With good reason."

"No doubt, how much longer will the negotiations last do you think?"

"Several hours at best." Turning towards the stairs leading to the med bay area Coric pulled Wolffe over an act that was quite uncharacteristic for the medic his voice a harsh whisper though they were both quite alone in the halls. "Commander what's going on? Is Krell insane or does he have it out for us clones?"

Wolffe suppressed a sound of frustration. "Whichever it is it doesn't matter we have a job to do."

"Maybe but not when our General sounds like he has a few loose wires in his head!"

"Coric that's enough out of you!" He didn't feel justified snapping at the medic but he had to keep his men in line especially at a time like this.

"I'm only saying what everyone's thinking. I wouldn't even say anything but do you know how many adrenals I've given out this past hour? Twenty four hour shifts are not something us clones can just pull! We may be clones but we're still just as human as the next human!"

"I'll keep that in mind and see what I can do. It'll be a few more hours at best. Have the men eat extra rations if they need to and keep their sugar levels stable I don't want anyone passing out on their feet."

"I understand, but it's not even about the extra hours! It's about us! We're not droids! Force Commander we're not…we're not slaves!"

"Is that you talking or the men."

"It's me." Coric didn't meet his eye looking away as if anticipating what Wolffe was to say.

"We're not children Coric this is a war! Yes we'll have to stay up several more hours than is good for us, yes we'll be fighting with force knows how much a lack in supplies, but through it all we will fight because we are soldiers of the Grand Army of the Republic!"

He sighed softening his voice. "I'm not saying I approve of General Krell's methods all I'm asking is patience. Give it several more hours and General Koon will be back alright?"

"Alright I…I shouldn't have yelled at you like that… It's just I was there in the recon mission to Zyggeria and I was transferred from a separatist border outpost. The way those natives were treated…" Coric shuddered and Wolffe rested a hand on his shoulder. "I read the reports. It was bad. But that's why we fight, it's why we keep long hours, it why we get dropped off on half civilized planets with Kriff knows what living on it and Kriff knows what kind of conditions. It's so that others can live and live well. We don't fight because we're clones Coric or at least that's only part of it. I fight because I believe in our cause. In the end that's all war is a fight for an idea or ideal."

Coric laughed. "Wow that as almost half inspiring you come up with that on the spot?"

"Just quoting Koon and maybe throwing in some quotes from Generals of the Old Republic."

"Are you serious!? When you're not living and breathing war your reading about it?"

"Are you telling me what to do with my time CC-3425? I should have you court martialed for that!"

"Are you insane! Now I know you have a loose wire somewhere in there." Coric said between peals of muffled laughter. "Force I can't believe you of all people would break protocol like that."

"Yeah don't get used to it." Wolffe gave one of his trademark grins and then it smoothed out into a mildly interested demeanor. "I have work to do go back to your rotation."

"Yes sir." Coric saluted halfheartedly but Wolffe could tell that his mood had lightened somewhat. Sighing Wolffe turned his walk to a brisk pace for another round of inspections.

-0-0-0-

It was an hour or so later when Wolffe glared at the datapad as he sat in the room designated as the ships library. It was mostly empty save the tables littering it and the walls and shelves which were filled to the brim with the twinkling blue lights of orderly kept data pads.

He shifted in his chair, the lone one pulled up to the table he sat by the one closest to the door, scrolling down several more paragraphs before placing it down and rubbing his eyes. It had been an hour and there was still no headway in the negotiations. Vaguely he wondered how much longer would he and his men need to host General Krell. The hour had been the most lax one yet though Wolffe felt this was all just a calm before some sort of storm. The General had ranted for the better part of the hour from what Comet had told him something which irritated him to no end. How could any self respected General think that running twenty four hour shifts was logical in any way? Exhausted men were a liability just as hungry and wounded men were. Maintaining an army was an act of balance. You had to know how much to push and how much to expect. A command run to loosely would be undisciplined but a command run to harshly would cause discontent and low morale. It wasn't just blasters that won wars it was the men behind those blasters that's why the Republic wasn't using droids. Why couldn't the General see that? He sighed resuming his reading trying to fight off the exhaustion. Several more hours he could pull off. Leaving this ship with no one but General Krell in command was not something he wanted to do.

Three more minutes into his reading his comm rang. Force couldn't anything be normal just this once? "What is it Comet."

"It's the sepp's sir, someone shot a rocket launcher."

"What when?" He shot up in his seat. "Just now sir."

"Has the Alderaanian militia mobilized yet?"

"No sir, the ambassador claims none of his men are responsible and that this is the act of a rogue element."

"Rogue element?! Do they actually think we'll buy that?"

"Senator Organa believes them, the negotiations are continuing."

"Alright then, keep me apprised of the situation." Wolffe sat back down before Comet continued. "No sir you don't understand it's General Krell sir! He says this is an act of war. He wants to deploy us!"

"What? I'll be there shortly." This wasn't good. None of it. He had specific orders to remain a neutral party until after the peace talks were to end. He could technically land an assault now but if the peace talks were still proceeding then General Koon himself had chosen to do so.

He reached the Bridge several minutes later only to find Comet running out to meet him. "Thank the force! Sinker refused to deploy the men! Force Krell may have killed him already."

-0-0-0-

"What's going on!" The clone Commander barged onto the bridge only to see him loom over Sinker the air charged so heavily with his anger it nearly brought every trooper in the room to their knees causing a frown of disgust to play across his lips. They were nothing like the original, weak and useless, so many yet they couldn't even hold their own against even one Jedi. "CC-3636 I'm court martialing this clone get a firing squad in order."

"Red take Sinker and throw him in the brig." Outrageous! Was a direct command just ignored!

"Yes sir."

He was furious; no he was beyond furious he was seething. "I said I want him executed for insubordination did I not make myself clear!?"

"You did sir, and I will have him court martialed but he can only be executed after a trial." The Commander had the gall to look unfazed but he could feel the undercurrent of fear like a tendril of weakness seep out and permeate the air around himself. Why he had expected something more was beyond him. These were clones after all, subhuman at best the lot of them.

"He has disobeyed orders during a military operation he should be made and example off!" And your men should watch and take heed of his actions! Who did this clone think he was? Did he think he knew better than a Jedi Master!?

"I will execute him after the incursion then. I have already planned several different scenarios for a landed assault. If you allow me I will run you through the optimal battle plan for this incursion." Unbelievable! And to think that these men, these clones were to be entrusted with the very future of the republic? It was no wonder the war was still at a standstill. These men couldn't follow an order to save their life!

"Did I ask for your opinions Commander? I already have a ready plan of attack." The war holo table lit up with a mountain range by the Organa palace under his impatient gaze. "We shall take the low road and march up the side of this mountain taking down all resistance and liberating Alderaan."

The Commander seeped outrage and anger even. "We'd all be dead within minutes if not seconds, not only would we have the low ground but the passage is too narrow for our tanks! We'd be utterly defenseless!"

"Are you questioning orders Commander? Do you not know the importance of our cause? Of this mission?" Did any of them? Did they even care? It wasn't their Republic anyway. "If Alderaan is not liberated within the hour the Republic will look weak morale will fall and we will lose the war. All because of your baseless fears. Do you really think your mind could even begin to grasp at what I comprehend? You're nothing but a clone CC-3636 I suggest you don't forget that."

"I may be a clone even I can see that this is pure suicide!" This, this was crossing a line.

"You see nothing!" The Commander finally had the decency to flinch at his anger, his outrage, but only just so. "I repeat my orders Commander are you refusing to follow them?"

"I will land an incursion but not with that strategy General."

"I am the General, Commander. Are you both half blind and defective! I don't know how Koon keeps all of you in line but when he returns I'm having you all court martialed and executed. You're all traitors every last one of you. In fact I think I'll do some of the executing right now! Maybe this will drive home some respect." His lightsabers hissed to life causing the Commander to blanch oh good he had his attention now.

"These men are innocent. I'm the one who's refusing a direct order, sir." Perhaps this one could be made an example off so that the others would fall in line. Or he'd make them fall in line one way or another.

"Your right Commander I have tried to make you see reason, but it appears you're more defective then I initially thought." A shudder passed through the Commander as he used the force to lift and throw him sharply into the wall to his right smashing him into a console array. The pure rage was invigorating he could feel every cell singing in joy. He slammed the clone into the console once more and then into the closed doors of the bridge hearing the sweet sound of bones crunching. The armor absorbed much of the impact however and not enough damage had been done. The next toss sent the clone into doors of the bridge once more before he grasped at his air pipe constricting it just enough to prolong the suffering. The clone gasped for breath struggling against the lack of air bile rising up his throat as his stomach churned at the motion. He had never felt so alive! He dropped the pathetic excuse of a clone the man retched onto the metal hull of the ship breathing heavily and shuddering piteously.

"You see clones. This is where you belong on your knees!" He grabbed the clone sharply with the force once more only to slam him into the war table vaguely hearing the gasps of the clones all viewing his display of command. He grinned at the fear and anger in their hearts. Reveling and basking in the hate. In the end that's all clones were. Empty shells to be commanded by their betters.

-0-0-0-

He groaned something having broken no doubt a rib as he attempted to lift himself. Blood dripped down from under his gauntlet though he couldn't remember it receiving any wounds. His body shook in pain against his will as he shakily propped himself up on his elbow. His comm chose to ring in that moment. "General." He tried not wheeze as he responded his eyes flashing to the looming Besalisk who had stopped in his attack angrily observing him as cold sweat ran down his brow tendrils of shock disbelief and no little fear gathering at the base of his heart and now empty stomach.

"Commander Wolffe is everything alright?" His eyes widened as General Krell pressed a lightsaber to Jerik's neck eyes narrowed. "Ye…Yes General, everything's under control."

He bit back the moan of pain as the lightsaber inched ever closer to the communication officers neck. "I see, very good. Koon out."

He wanted to sigh in relief when Krell lowered his lightsaber smiling cruelly but what came out were more ragged gasps that he had held at bay when answering his comm. "Troopers this Commander has disobeyed direct orders from a General not once but twice. There are clear rules for insubordination. You five where are your blasters? Go get them." Wolffe's eye widened in disbelief as his elbow vibrated in pain. More sweat poured down his brow as he looked between the men and the General who smiled at the scene almost finding it amusing. The troopers were a sharp contrast their faces ranging from shock to fear to disbelief. All feelings he himself was experiencing mired with even more fear at the prospect of what was to occur.

It took several minutes for the men to scramble back with the requested weapons all shifting uneasily at what they were about to be asked to do. This was a fate to cruel. They were his men, they deserved better. "Can't finish me off yourself General?" He bit out. He braced himself as he felt himself lifted and thrown against several consoles his sense of direction a blurred mess as he was thrown with a finality into the war table once more groaning as he felt several more ribs give way. The pain pulsed at the base of his neck as he fought against the sudden darkness at the edges of his vision. He tensed for the next wave of punishment as the Besalisk glared down at his form. "You are the most defective clone I have ever met. It seems that losing one eye was not lesson enough for you. Perhaps losing your other eye will teach you how to follow orders properly. A green beam of light hissed to life. The General approached him slowly as if savoring every moment of the action. His body shuddered and he instinctively tried to back away from the heat of the blade and the pain it would bring but there was only the wall of the war table behind him. He felt his ribs painfully grating against his inner flesh as he pressed against it tensing for the familiar burning sensation the agony of fire and the promise of utter darkness. Something sharp hit a lung piercing it. He stilled at the cold pain. If he hadn't worn his armor today all his ribs would have been cleanly broken. Cold sweat poured down his brow as the inching lightsaber reminded him of another lightsaber he'd been subject to not too long ago. He swallowed evening his breath even as the darkness of the fear and memories threatened to overwhelm him. Darkness licked at the corners of his eyes as General Krell ordered his own Wolffepack to line up in firing range.

"When I carve out your eye Commander I want you to taste the pain of defeat before I have you shot like a dog." The green blade hummed over his face the intense heat of the plasma only accenting the fear in his eyes. He stilled in pain hot and cold at the memory of another lightsaber gauging out his eye. The blade rose to swing only to have the doors of the bridge thrown open.

"What in the name of the force?"

"General Koon good of you to join us. I am merely teaching your Commander a lesson on respect." Wolffe shifted his gaze turning his head weakly to see Koon frowning down at the scene. The air stilled heavily. He shuddered another breath as he wrapped a hand around his midriff the entire scenario appeared so surreal to him. He had to close his eyes if only to assure that he was still on the bridge and what had occurred had occurred. A Jedi Master had attempted to not only kill but had tortured him.

"I believe I am capable of doing just that myself General. The Council wishes to speak with you. I would not keep them waiting."

"Of course not." General Krell smirked. "You are very fortunate I am not your General Commander or my disciplining would leave with a lot less than just a few broken bones."

Wolffe didn't realize he was having trouble breathing until General Koon shook him. "Comet get a medic in here, preferably one with an Oxygen tank." He chuckled weakly at the familiarity of the situation, his mind still trying to comprehend what it was that had happened.

"Yes sir!"

"Breathe deeply Wolffe. You are experiencing post traumatic shock. " Wolffe struggled to deepen his breathing as his laugh turned to more wheezing his eye glazing over as the memory of Assaj Ventress resurfaced sharply and suddenly and there was no burying them now. His whole body ached he was utterly exhausted running on barely any rations. His mind a mess as it tied to comprehend just exactly what had happened the line between reality and that of the realm of the impossible. Cold sweat poured down his brow as he felt a cool soothing sensation overcome him as the General rested a hand over his forehead."

"Sir." He gasped.

"Rest now Commander." He tried fighting against the haze that slipped over his vision but the darkness won out and he was left floating in an abyss of warm nothingness before his mind finally had the decency to allow him to pass out.

* * *

Alright so for those of you wondering what the? How is this even possible? Krell should be brought before the Jedi Council! How could he just get away with that? Don't worry all shall be explained in the next Ch. My question is how could a bunch of clones get away with killing a General? They could claim anything they want but in the end they could be just making it up, I mean who would the Jedi believe. If Krell really is this top notch guy like Rex and everyone said then it would be a bit more complicated then oh he was actually a two timing traitor who had it out for clones you killed him whatever. So this is pre Umbara where there is already solid proof that Krell is off his rocker. If you liked leave a review! Till next time!


	4. Post Khorm

Alright so I know you guys were waiting on the Post Umbara chapter that was supposed to come out. I was working on it and I can't seem to get it the way I want to yet so I'm still working on that one.

But I did type this up, its post Khorm if anyone read the comics it's the one where Wolffe loses his eye to Asajj Ventress and lives because he's just so awesome. I did tell myself I wouldn't type up a post Khorm one because there a graphic novel on this but it doesn't really deal with the whole aftermath of Wolffe losing his eye but I happened to see Jasjuliet's art on deviantart and it inspired me to write this. You can check out the image before reading this but that's what it's based off of that so the writing style may seem a bit different.

* * *

Ch:4 Post Khorm

He'd been at it for three hours now, brooding. Sinker had come and gone as had Boost and Comet. Others had come to visit laughing and joking around, doing everything and anything to get a reaction any reaction out of him. He'd tried to follow in on their conversation tried laughing with them, at them, tried loosening up but though a small part of him was enjoying the company what was left was devoured by a miasma of darkness filled with guilt and pain.

He swallowed thickly as he sat on a stool observing the bacta tank to his left. The one he'd occupied only hours ago. The dull sound of medical equipment hummed in the background of his senses as his thoughts propelled him onto the planet whose atmosphere they had just recently exited. It had been forty eight hours since his last skirmish on Khorm. Twenty four hours since his men had fully secured the planet and twenty seven hours since he'd been freed from his captivity which had occurred because he'd been clumsy. With his eye lost and still recovering, running half on adrenals and half on anesthetics he'd missed the signs of an ambush. The signs had been scarce but there were enough to have set him on his guard. The fight was a disoriented mess; he had had only half a squad with him and they'd all went down in nearly minutes. The interrogation that followed was even messier. They'd thought he'd lost his eye and he had, thought if they threatened his last remaining eye he'd cave in. He didn't, he had an implant new as it was and raw as his flesh from the lightsaber wound was he'd make do if he had to. And make do he did. The agonizing moments ticked away as they questioned him. Poked and prodded at him with their metal contraptions his eye spared only due to the other tortures they had subjected him to. Spared because he had been rescued in time.

General Koon himself led the assault, lightsaber blazing, the men a whirlwind of blaster fire. Sinker's tear stricken face was the last thing he remembered before finding himself back on the ship swimming in bacta. Then he'd found himself awake out of bacta. Then back in the tank and then out. And now a good several hour soak later he was out again, the verdict him being almost fit for duty. Almost, he still had a cybernetic to adjust to. Several exercises to run to ensure his muscles returned to peak efficiency. Meds to take, simulations on his eye to run. All in all he was a mess and Coric new it. He'd be lucky to be out of the medward in a standard week let alone a month. But there was so much work to do, and they had been deployed again.

He'd never been a good patient. Motion meant distraction, meant he didn't have to feel, only think, strategize plan. Injury meant recovery and to him recovery was a living hell. It gave him too much time and too little to do with it. When he was tortured he'd been sure he'd die. But he'd been saved. And through the entire ordeal one question remained. Why?

His hands shook before his lone eye the other still behind fresh bandages. He'd taken a lightsaber to the face and he had lived. He'd been captured by the enemy. Tortured for a good several hours, after barely a day had passed of being pulled out of the bacta tank he was in for losing his eye to a lightsaber. But still he had lived. General Koon had taken a strategic setback just to free him. He and no one else for there had been no other survivors. The mop up of enemy forces would have taken three hours less had breaking him out taken a secondary priority but if that had occurred he'd have been dead. So the question remained why?

Better men then he had died. Men with far lesser wounds and men with far lesser reasons. Died because their General had pushed on, leaving the men for dead. Or for an Evac that never came. Or an Evac that had come hours too late. He'd heard the stories. Men lying strewn about on the battlefield moaning for water, adrenals, loved ones, a release from their suffering. He didn't need the stories though, he'd been on those battlefields he'd seen it all with his own eyes. He'd just been fortunate it hadn't been his men. Had been fortunate it hadn't been him…not him…not yet…not this time around. The sight of those fields still haunted him even now. Even at night when he slept they crept into his dreams unbidden half-truth mixed with his deepest of horrors. Sometimes it was his own men he'd find strewn on the battlefield in fields of snow or sand, fields of tropical fauna or swamps of far flung planets. Sometimes it was the men under the command of his other brothers. He'd awake after each nightmare in cold hot sweat. He'd stare at his haggard reflection in the mirror of his bathroom calming himself with the words it was just a dream just a dream…to only be left with the fear that it was just a dream that could one day come to pass…

He startled suddenly at a hand on his shoulder. He'd been facing away from the door and hadn't realized someone had entered. It was a hand but not a human one, of four digits and warm scaly skin.

He swallowed. It was time for his report. It was the first time in his mission report that he wasn't sure where to start. Because in truth he'd been so high on meds he couldn't remember where it had all went to the sith hells. "Didn't tell them anything, Sir. I didn't compromise the mission." Because the mission had been compromised, but not by him. The separatists had received a holo right when they had captured him. It had been the voice of a droid but it was obvious it was masking a human voice of that he was almost certain. Someone had given their fourth platoons objective away. He would give the full report later when he was cleared fit for duty by Coric and claimed psychologically fit for giving a report that could be considered accurate. He forced his shaking hands to still as despair washed over him. He tried to clamp down on his thoughts to remain calm before the General but he just couldn't force himself to do so. Too much had happened in too short a time and he was left reeling at the memories phantom pains coursing through his body as it tensed remembering another hand gripping at his shoulder sharply not too long ago while shoving him around the room to roughen him up before the real interrogation began.

"Wolffe."

"General?" Despite how neutral his face was he knew his General would see right through him. See how broken he really felt. How broken he really was.

"I did my duty…I'd never betray the Republic sir." It was true all too true. General Koon new this. But despite that doubt leaked through him. He'd never betray the Republic, but what about the Republic? The number of lives lost the number of men littering the ground. He knew war. Knew not everyone could be saved, but a sliver of doubt remained wishing desperately that somehow they could have all been saved or at the very least more could have been saved than had been. Wishing the Evac's came in good time. Wishing they weren't all spread out so thinly. But through it all he knew he'd fight to the death for the Republic even if it cost him his life.

"…no matter the cost. Never, Sir…but…" He swallowed looking away in shame as his hands clenched against his will and his breath hitched. He had been compromised. The meds were talking carving the ache of guilt home. A survivor's guilt. Why had he lived when so many had died? What made him different? Why had his General come for him? Why did he deserve to have someone come for him when many of his other brothers had no such a luxury?

He could feel the pressure of his General's hand squeezing his shoulder in reassurance. It was so different from the hand of the man he had been tortured by. But he couldn't. The words were at the tip of his tongue but he couldn't bring himself to say it. Didn't trust himself to speak, because if he spoke he wasn't sure if he could hold himself together any longer. He was just so exhausted of all this. Of running of fighting of seeing his men shot right before his very eyes.

"Please speak freely Commander." He swallowed thickly and turned his head albeit slowly to meet General Koon's even yet saddened and compassionate face. The General always knew what to say, always knew what to do. It was that which gave him the strength to speak. "I…" He looked away in shame at his own weakness.

"I know you value the lives of your men, Sir. I just…you came for me, but…" The words came unbidden to his mind and though he did not speak them he felt them sharply and clearly. Why? Why me? Why do I deserve to live when so many have died? He should have died several times over. In Abregado, in that pod locked down for maintenance, those two times on Khorm those several times he was nearly shot down in the field or in a Starfighter but his men had had his back. He wasn't supposed be able to survive all of that. Any one of those should have been enough to end him but they hadn't. He was still alive still breathing when so many had died. He couldn't explain the feeling it was like a damn of agony welling up inside him. He'd never felt so vulnerable and so useless in his entire life. It didn't matter that he was on meds, didn't matter that he'd just lost an eye little more than several days ago, that he was tortured little more than twenty seven or so hours ago. He was Commander Wolffe he should know better should know to keep his head screwed on straight. He should have seen the ambush should have been able to avoid it. Should have protected those men. But for all that had occurred he just couldn't hold it in any longer. There was just so much pain so much fear so much anger.

He just needed someone, anyone to tell him that it was alright, that it would be alright. That him living through where others would have died was alright. "Even so…" It was a selfish wish, he had so many brothers but even so, he was responsible for them. He told them when it was alright and when they were to run for the sith hells or they'd all be dead. A part of him just wished he'd have someone like that too. Someone who'd just hold him and tell him it would be alright. He'd had caretakers on Kamino. All his brothers had. But they'd just been so so lacking. He couldn't count on his hands the number of nights he'd just felt so cold. Then there was Abregado. He'd lost everything and nearly everyone. The countless skirmishes, the countless nights running simulations, hoping that this time it would be enough. That this time they'd win. This time he'd bring more brothers back home. This time they would liberate the planet. This time they would survive the trenches. This time their reinforcements would make it in time. There were just so many failures. It was just that this time he couldn't keep a lid on it, couldn't walk it off couldn't blow it off there was just so much too much.

"I've never felt so worthless." He had failed his men so many times that he couldn't take it anymore. He needed whatever force was out there to just cut him some slack. His body shook against his will he felt a hand rest on his head as he shook and suddenly he found himself in a tight embrace. It was against every protocol instilled in him on Kamino, everything in him screamed that he'd crossed a line but just this once he couldn't be bothered to care. "Never to me Wolffe, you will never be worthless to me." The voice was warm with sadness with acceptance with understanding because without saying all he'd wanted to his General still understood him, understood his pain understood his loss. It was at this that he finally caved in. His body acted against his will as a tear slid down his cheek. And once it fell he found that he couldn't stop. He cried for his men, for Abregado, for Khorm for Geonosis, for every brother that fell. That he saw fall before his very eyes. Cried for the men that he knew had died and would die and those that he'd send to their deaths because his simulations just weren't good enough this time around. Because even though he knew he couldn't bring everyone back it still hurt. It wasn't like his mind was being rationale at the moment anyway. He cried for the fallen Jedi for the people he couldn't save. The civilians that had died because his men hadn't gotten there in time. He cried while his General held him in a tight embrace stroking his hair. He could hear his General saying something but it fell past his ears. He found he couldn't concentrate on anything anymore. It was warm it was safe and he was so damn tired. He hated himself for his weakness hated that he needed someone for reassurance but Kriff it he wasn't a droid. He couldn't stop feeling no matter how much he wanted to, no matter how much he tried. And believe it he'd tried.

-0-0-0-

When Coric entered the bacta medbay area an hour later it was in this embrace that he found General Koon and Wolffe, Wolffe himself asleep on the General's shoulder looking completely wiped out. It was about damn time. Wolffe was so kriffed up on pain meds it was surprising he'd managed to stay awake even this long. Though he still wasn't sure what to say at the scene but thankfully nothing had needed to be said. The General put a finger to his mask to indicate silence and spoke in a low but kind voice.

"Coric is there a bed in here for the Commander, he has exhausted himself." Coric nodded mutely as he unhooked a standard issued med bed and began throwing on the bed sheets. Despite what he had seen he supposed he shouldn't have been so surprised, the Commander had been heading towards a breakdown for the better part of the month he would know. The Commander could be downright open at times and at times so downright stubborn to admit it when he was nearing his breaking point. Besides if anyone could get Wolffe to do anything he'd set his mind against it would no doubt be General Koon. And Wolffe was determined to make everyone think he was fine even when he wasn't.

"Here." He all but whispered. The General gently laid Wolffe on the bed before smoothing back some of the unruly hair in a gesture of affection. Something warm gathered at the base of Coric's chest at the scene. It was always touched something in him to see their General care for his men. It gave him hope that one day other more biased Jedi could see that clones were human to. But he being a realist new that this was a long ways to go. The General pulled up a chair but his com rang. Sighing in amusement the general made his way out the door. "I leave him in your capable hands Coric."

"Yes sir, of course sir." He busied himself with several uninvasive test procedures before updating his datapad and then draping a thermal blanket over his brothers form. It was not so rare a sight to see when Wolffe was out cold but it always reminded him of how young Wolffe was. How young they all were. Wolffe could act like a real old war Veteran sometimes, what with his wise quips and brilliant strategies. He could act like a true to boot mandalorian bounty hunter when his men were on the line. With his accent and slew of mandoa curses one could almost think he was a mandalorian bounty hunter to boot. And know to get the hells out of there because if Wolffe was in mando mode there were about to be some very big explosion. But through it all he could be such a child sometimes. Whether it was to egg Commander Thorn on into doing something embarrassing or wrapping Commander Fox around his little finger twice over just because he could Wolffe had moments where he was lost just like all of them. He took more than his share of blame because in the end of the day he was the Commander but just like his men he was vulnerable. Perhaps even more so because of the trauma kriff he kept being put through and while Coric didn't play favorites he really did have his choice of favorite brothers. One of said brother was just so stubborn for his own good sometimes particularly when he needed help. Wolffe was always there for him when he needed a shoulder to cry on so he was glad General Koon had his back. Glad General Koon had all of their backs.

-0-0-0-

It was four days later when Wolffe was finally permitted to escape Coric's watchful eye. He opted for his armor. They would deploy a ground incursion at O'eighthundred. The simulations in order and the men all ready for a ground assault he had several hours to burn before first contact.

Waving away the battle plan to be used Wolffe squared his shoulders before composing himself. He had been out of line that day and he needed to give a formal apology before they deployed. It took several minutes before he reached General Koon's chambers. The General had been up and about in debriefings from the Council in between meditations and talking strategy with General Gallia who would be joining them for this invasion. But they had yet to speak outside of brief formalities as of yet and Wolffe wanted to assure General Koon that his display would not be recurring. At least not any time soon.

The door slid open after several more moments and he entered the expanse of the chamber beyond. General Koon sat cross legged in lotus position an amused smile playing on his face.

"You wished to speak with me Commander?"

Wolffe cleared his throat while standing at attention. "Yes sir. I wanted to speak with you about the other day…"

His eyes flickered briefly to the viewport and the galaxy beyond before he continued his eyes returning to the General. "Firstly I wanted to thank you for…for helping me work through my thoughts."

The amusement only grew. "You are welcome Wolffe."

"I also wanted to say, I was out of line. I apologies for any inconvenience I might have caused you." He tried to keep a professional calm but his ears burned in shame. He was a Commander and last he checked Commanders didn't make it a habit of bawling their eyes out like younglings. In the presence of their General no less, and yes Coric had informed him that he'd been kriffed up on meds at the time.

General Koon expression became somewhat guarded at those words frown tugging at the edges of his mask. And Wolffe was left wondering what had he said that had been so wrong.

"Wolffe. There is no shame in fear. No shame in pain or self-doubt. It is the natural order of things."

"I understand Sir." Wolffe said uncomfortable looking away. "However I could have dealt better with what had occurred."

The amusement was back as General Koon rose. "And pray tell how could you have dealt better with all that has occurred to you Commander. Tell me if it were Commander Cody to have lost an eye to the violence of a lightsaber what would you have done? If not but several days after losing an eye, the unfortunate Commander was captured and once more put under extreme duress what would you have done? " A warm hand rested on his shoulder. Causing him to look up at the General who stood before him. "I…I would have done everything in my power to ensure he was on the path of recovery sir."

"You must know Commander Jedi do not recover from such ordeals as you have been through unscathed. Even Jedi have moments of weakness. It is how we work through our weaknesses that define us. But there is no shame in admitting weakness."

"I, I understand sir…" He knew all this to be true. And in the end he was thankful it had been his General that had seen him cracking so badly. He wasn't sure he wanted any other one of his brothers to bear such a burden even though they would gladly do so. But neither did he wish to force such a burden on his General. "I hope…my display did not…did not…" He wasn't sure how to say it properly but when the General's hold on his shoulder tightened he knew the General understood. And in all honesty sometimes he was glad his General could feel what he meant to say without him having to say it. He wasn't exactly comfortable voicing the darker aspects of what he felt to others.

"Commander, you are my responsibility. If you have a need do not hesitate to speak your mind freely. I am always here for my men as I am for you."

"Yes, sir, thank you sir…"

"Now about the debriefing."

"Yes of course Sir, if we were to have General Gallia's men create a water to land diversion we could come in from the rear and take out the new ion canons the separatists have developed. Once Checkers gets in range he sets the charges. Twitch can pull us a schematic for the canons. We may not have time for schematic acquisition but if all goes as planned we can strike the base causing them to diverge the support platoon headed for the capital. After that General Gallia drops in her heavy hitters with our support of aerial bombardment. It may take anywhere from a several days to a few weeks but we should have the planet under Republic Command no later than two months' time. Far less if we're fortunate."

"Very good Commander. Everything is in order then."

"Yes sir."

"Well then I believe we have a battle to win." Wolffe followed after General Koon as he made his way to the bridge. He wasn't sure how much longer the war would go on but if anything he knew that he had his men and his General to have his back just as he had theirs. And though the road to finding inner peace with all the chaos running amuck and loose around him would be difficult. He knew that he wouldn't have to search for this center and peace alone.


	5. Post Umbara

Still not completely happy with this but here goes...

* * *

Ch5: Post Umbara

The force rose. A tempest of pain doubt and uncertainty. It lashed this way and that as he entered it, the galaxy though majestic bleaker in his eyes then it had ever been. Darkness loomed at the edges of fate somewhere yet elusive. He attempted to grasp at it only for it to slip away as it had always these last few years. Something foreboding something dark something that he felt powerless to stop. And yet was not every shift in the force its own will? He basked in the tendrils of light but his own emotions clouded his communion.

To say General Koon was displeased with what he had seen was an understatement. He had known something was amiss the moment he had felt his Commander's presence in the force fluctuate and plummet. Commander Wolffe may have claimed nothing was amiss but Koon didn't need to speak with his Commander to know that something had been wrong. He had had his reservations with the Besalisk Jedi Master and his concerns upon the high list of clone casualties the General repeatedly reported in but it had never even crossed his mind that the General could be purposely discarding the men under him. He had not wanted to believe not dared to. But after the display he had witnessed he understood how it was the Jedi Masters losses surmounted to such a high. He had spoken to Sinker and several other officers upon what had occurred and their reports were troubling as was the holo recording of what had occurred on the bridge.

The scene he had walked into did not just startle him it incensed him. The disturbance he felt only increasing after he saw the recording of the bridge and the rough and cruel display of the force the Jedi Master had unnecessarily used. For a Jedi Master to so candidly threaten another life form an innocent life form was unheard off, and to threaten with the penalty of death and torture of another simply because they would not approve of a suicide deployment? He rose from his meditation. He was too disturbed by the events to make any headway it was better for him to wait it out and walk it off. The force would commune with him when he found his center once more. He paced the length of his chamber trying to understand how it was this could all have been avoided. But in the end all was the will of the force and all could be attributed to the Jedi themselves and their hesitance to recall from battle, those Jedi that became unqualified to lead because of the loss of a balanced mind. They were Jedi but if the war had proven anything it was that even Jedi were not infallible. He paused midstride as his comm rang. "Comet."

"General. The Jedi Council is ready to speak with you."

"Thank you Comet." He made his way briskly to the conference room his frown only deepening as he felt the fear of the men who scurried about. The force wrapped around the ship in a cocoon of hesitancy and uncertainty. Though thank the force most of the men seemed generally at ease with his presence he could still feel the tendrils of doubt and seeds of fear that festered in them. Trauma like this could linger, it could fester it could breed fear and all these feelings could dehumanize what little respect the clones had begun attributing to themselves. He waved the doors open sealing them behind himself as he joined Pong Krell by the holodisplay of those present. He centered himself, Pong Krell's actions were those of a very disturbed individual. This did not forgive his shortcomings but the war could harm and unbalance even the best of them. And Pong Krell was no Council member.

"Master Koon, hear I disturbing things, hmmm?"

"Indeed. I find General Krell's actions most disturbing."

"Really? I find his actions complimentary." The sharp and nasal voice of the Supreme Chancellor grated out. Plo Koon's eyes narrowed though no doubt the Chancellor could not see nor feel it but he was not pleased at all. "General Krell assaulted my Commander, Chancellor. He would have him executed on the bridge by his own men with no trial. Actions such as these are not actions of a stable individual."

"They refused a direct order during a military operation!" General Krell frowned folding his arms across his form as his displeasure permeated the air about him. "If that is not grounds for treason we might as well give the Republic to the Seperatists."

"I am surprised you did not allow your Commander to be executed Master Koon. I understand that Jedi do not kill unless highly necessary but we cannot take insubordination lightly. It is quite clear to me that there is only one way to go about this." The supreme Chancellor appeared mildly concerned at the prospect of the insubordination. Or perhaps it was at the prospect of the men not being executed. It was hard to tell with the man just as much as he found it hard to read the man's intentions. Though just like any politician no doubt the Chancellor would choose whatever side should bring him more prestige and power. That was how it always was despite the kind demeanors most senators if not all played the game. And they played it well.

Plo Koon was not one to lose his cool but he could not hold back the sharpened inflection to his tone. "The Commander was under my direct orders to not intervene. As a member of the Council my orders supersede any other Jedi Masters save the orders of Master Yoda and the will of the Jedi Council. The Council itself approved of my continued negotiations despite a rogue element of the separatists breaking the ceasefire. The Commander was under orders not to engage the enemy and he did not. I see no grounds for insubordination here."

The revelation had little effect on the Chancellor but Master Yoda seemed to frown as he mulled over what he had said. "What say you for yourself, Master Krell?"

"I acted as I thought best, the Separatists broke the ceasefire. A retaliation was in order."

"But acted against the Council you did. Know this you did."

"I acted for the best of the Republic."

"He is right Master Yoda." The Supreme Chancellor interjected before Plo Koon was able to make it clear that Krell's tactics had not been for the best of the Republic in the least. "We cannot after all blame the Jedi Master for supporting the Republic so zealously. He did lose all his men after all it is only natural for a wish to return the favor."

"Perhaps but vengeance, not the Jedi way it is. Return to the Jedi Temple you will."

"I understand Master Yoda. But General Krell was an exemplary Jedi Master. Surely he could receive another chance to prove himself. Why I have just the planet. Has Skywalker not been just recalled from the battle in Umbara? The casualties are quite high and the heavy fire the Grand Army of the Republic is under is troubling indeed. I hear even Master Kenobi is having trouble making the ground assault. Perhaps sending Master Krell as a temporary replacement could be benefit to both parties."

"I do not think that would be wise." Plo Koon interjected his frown only deepening. "His treatment of the men under my command is questionable. His suggested strategy was no better than a suicide run. I initiate a motion to examine Jedi Master Pong Krell and suggest he be suspended until further examination is complete."

"Troubling this is, but necessary a Jedi Master on Umbara is."

"Well then we have an arrangement. I look forward to hearing of how it goes." The Chancellor ended his transmission leaving the three Jedi Masters to themselves.

"More to say I sense you do."

"He was ready to send good men to their deaths. His tactics are highly questionable as are his motives."

"My actions were for the good of the Republic Master Koon. I admit I may have gotten carried away with my response to the situation however it stands that I had a right to land an incursion in retaliation."

"Clouded the force is, but needed on Umbara a Jedi Master is. Proven himself in the past Master Krell has. Prove himself he may again."

Plo Koon wanted to argue further but he felt the Grand Masters answer through the force and knew it could not be swayed. Not when the Chancellor himself had suggested it and not when it rang true in the force that the Jedi Master had once been a great asset to the Jedi temple. He searched the force only to be left with a lack of answers, the emptiness in the force looming like a foreboding darkness. Strange he had never felt it so concentrated before. He turned only to find that he had been left to himself with Master Yoda the Besalisk Master having left while he had communed briefly with the force. The two Council members remained in silence each with their own thoughts until at length the Grandmaster broke the silence.

"Cut short Master Skywalker's stay will be. Know make the decision lightly I do not. Send all evidence of what transpired to the Council you shall, recalled Master Krell immediately will be, after return to Umbara Skywalker does."

-0-0-0-

The first time Wolffe awoke it was on the operating table. Pain, white lights glared blearily into his eyes as did the heavy nauseating smell of antiseptic. White haze touched at the edges of his senses as he felt a distinct something made of metal probe at something, something that felt deeper then skin. Cold panic shot through his senses as he felt hands probing at his inner flesh. He stilled himself as best he could incoherent voices speaking faintly as he lifted his head ever so slightly eyes widening at the blood and exposed organs. The gloved hands ceased probing suddenly as he fell back down hands gripping the sides of the table trying hard to keep his breathing steady as pain slowly began to filter through, numbness receding.

An alarmed face floated into view. Coric, his clone generic cut bore a thick streak of dyed hair a little aways from the center towards the right, a deep dark blue hue. Coric was saying something but everything was a haze. Pain shot suddenly through him and he gripped the table tighter only to have the medic float out of view. He could hear yelling and the bleeping of monitors in the background and then just as suddenly the noises became murky he felt something plastic over his mouth. He sucked at the anesthetic air greedily the white haze gathering and sinking him into a warm darkness.

-0-0-0-

The second time he awoke he felt like kriff. He startled into wakefulness his insides screaming. He turned his head ever so weakly only to have Coric shoot up from a half lounge off the chair pulled up to his bedside.

"Wolffe kark it I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! Do you remember anything? Anything?"

"There…there was a lot of blood…" His voice cracked from dehydration. Blood and pain and organs…

"Kriff it! I wasn't sure how much meds to use. I didn't want to pump you up with too much but the operation took a lot longer than I thought. You had severe internal bleeding!"

"Alive now aren't I?" He gritted out the words and tried to think past the pain as Coric said something else but he found that for a moment or so he couldn't concentrate a sharp ringing in his ears.

"Wolffe?"

"What's my condition?" Coric stiffened at the question swallowing and looking away briefly before meeting his eyes. Not good then, he braced himself for the run down.

"Three clean rib breaks, four rib fractures. Several ruptured veins and arteries…I could give you a list if you want one Commander… its rather long…" Coric had his data pad before him reverting to his medic mode. Normally Wolffe would have gone through a rundown of the whole thing but he was having trouble even thinking straight. Everything felt raw to his senses. He could feel haze at the edges of his vision the bright glare of the white sterile room, the jarring pain as if his insides as if they had been ruffled through and then put back in the wrong order.

"Kriff it skip to the post operation questionnaire." Coric nodded tensely.

"Where do you feel pain."

"Abdomen."

"Where?"

"Kriff everywhere. Coric, can…can you knock me out…" To say he couldn't breathe was an understatement. It was easier to say what didn't hurt then what did at this point.

"You've been on a lot of meds, and in operation for a standard eleven hours. I've pumped you full twice. I don't want to kark up your liver and kidneys."

"Please…Coric…I'll make it an order." The medics eyes widened in alarm and though the both of them new as the senior medical officer Coric had the last say the Commander never blatantly went against protocol. The two had a struggle of wills but to Wolffe the answer didn't much matter. The alternative was he'd pass out from the agony. The pain must have shown on his face because several moments later Coric's worried face floated into his view as the darkness of pain began licking at the edges of his senses.

"Alright." He bit back a whimper of pain but it came out anyway followed by labored panting. He grimaced both in pain and at his display of weakness only to find a warm hand grasp his own. "It'll be fine Commander, you'll be fine." A mask was slipped over his mouth but as Coric spoke and their eyes met Wolffe was sent wondering whether Coric was trying to convince him or himself. He gave Coric's hand a strong a squeeze as he could muster before the comforting haze of white took him from his pain.

-0-0-0-

The third time he awoke everything came back to him. The torture, Krell, the negotiations. He shot up as the sudden onslaught of memories receded only to fall back faintly a dull pain jarring his sides; he was going to be sick. Someone hovered over him.

He forced his eyes open weakly expecting to see the concerned face of his General only to see Coric pulling a thermal blanket back over him eyes full of worry.

"How are you feeling Commander?"

He swallowed his mouth parched as Coric scrutinized him. Something was off in the air. It made him uneasy. "I've had worse." His voice cracked badly, he swallowed thickly attempting to clear his throat. A cup was brought to his lips and he pushed himself up on an elbow allowing Coric to assist him and drank the warm liquid. He fell back after a moment the action having completely drained him. "What, what happened?" Panic raw fear gripped at him. General Koon why wasn't he here? He was always there when he awoke and the General was nothing if not consistent. What was wrong?

"I was called up when General Koon got back to the ship. Kriff you looked like sithhells when I got to you. I wasn't sure what that lunatic did but when I saw the holo…" Coric trailed off swallowing uneasily. "Kriff it Wolffe you're insane did I ever tell you that? You've got a loose wire in there somewhere. You just barely survived that bald Sith harpy what were you thinking going up against Krell?"

The memories were still sharp in his mind and truth be told he wasn't ready to confront what had occurred. Perhaps later when he wasn't still on meds his head clearer. "How are the men. Where…where's the General."

"Honestly? Their more high strung then Khorm. The General is still meditating…he's been at it for hours now."

"That bad?"

"What were you expecting Wolffe! Some Jedi went Dooku on us! Kriff it you nearly died! "

"What happened to General Krell was he court martialed?"

"No…he was redeployed to Umbara."

"Sweet Force what?!"

"Easy there Commander! Commander! Wolffe calm down! It'll be alright everything will be alright! Wolffe!" But he couldn't calm down. Cody kriff Cody was on Umbara. He shuddered cold sweat beading his brow as a lightsaber bore down taking more than just an eye off the face. But when he looked more clearly on the decapitated head he saw that it wasn't him but Cody lying motionless on the metal floors of the bridge. He rebelled against the thought as somewhere in his peripheral monitors screeched in warning. He heard voices and more ringing and more voices before a mask came down on his face.

"Kriff it Wolffe I'm so sorry."

Those were the last words he heard before he was put under.

-0-0-0-

It was a good three days before Coric announced him well enough to leave the medward. He took the liberty of requesting his armor. The plates felt heavier on his shoulders then he remembered so he opted for his uniform instead. He stood before the mirror in the bathroom connected to his room hand running over the haunted face he saw.

He'd lost weight. Too much of it to be good. The scar on his face appeared more pronounced his eye glassier the pupil dilated as if he were still high on adrenals. He'd need to shave in a few but perhaps the five o'clock stubble could be kept for a week or so. He felt if he took it off now the gauntness would be too off putting for him. But despite how sickly he looked on the outside his mind was worse, far far worse. He gripped the edges of the sink not willing to look at his face as his mind struggled with the news that came in from Umbara not even a day ago.

Waxer was dead. He swallowed thickly as he downed a cup of water wishing it were something far stronger. Waxer and Hardcase and force knows how many more men. They weren't his men. But they were still his brothers. The Jedi were wise. They were powerful, they knew everything didn't they? So how could they allow someone as unstable as Krell be deployed into the hellhole that was Umbara. He'd seen the report. The numbers were staggering. It was worse than the incursion on Dorin. Worse than Khorm. Hells nearly even worse than Geonosis and that had been bad.

He remained in this way for a few more moments before pushing himself back up. It had been days since he'd seen General Koon. They had been redeployed while he was still recovering. He'd did what he could with what time he had had but he was under for a good portion of that time. He could grieve later. When the battle was won. He brushed several unruly strands of hair into place before making his way to the bridge.

-0-0-0-

It had been three days but the bridge was just as silent. Here and there an officer would crack a joke but for the most part an eerie silence permeated the bridge. He took his place at the war table his hands brushing through a set of new stimulations. Most of the men looked up to his position briefly before returning to their work. Several mouthed their relief on his recovery in low undertones. He could all but taste the tension in the air. He let out a sigh as he waved away the water to land incursion simulation. They still had forty eight standard hours before initial contact. It would be best to work out the situation on deck before it got any worse and affected the overall performance in the battle to come. He'd seen men throw themselves in the path of blaster fire. They'd done it from loss of comrades a loss of a will to live or the sheer exhaustion of having to fight what seemed to them a never ending battle. It hadn't been his men but regardless of the General they served under they were his brothers. "Comet. Walk with me."

The man in question gave a nod in assent albeit hesitantly. It took several moments with Comet passing off his station before they stepped out. They walked several paces outside the bridge before he broke the silence.

"What's going on?"

"Sir."

"Drop the formalities Comet. What's going on? Where's the General? Why are the men so tense?"

"I'm, I'm not sure what's going on. No one is. General Koon's been in his rooms meditating for days. After Coric took you to the medbay General Koon was called in to speak with the Council. We had a small skirmish with the separatists on Alderaan but after three aerial bombardments it was clear that there was barely a presence of seppies left on the planet. We did a full sweep following the third simulation protocol as directed by General Koon and sent them packing. We sustained minimal causalities. I wanted to get in contact with the General to find out our next position of deployment but he'd already passed his Command over to Sinker and that was the last we heard from him."

"I see, who did Sinker cycle command with."

"Me and Boost sir, I ran the comm chatter channels Boost focused on any skirmishes which we had none off but he still ran the standard sweeps. By the time the Council called in again for a debriefing Sinker was already up and you were back so he deferred to your command on the situations as they came. When you were lucid I mean." Wolffe couldn't restrain a chuckle at that but the chuckle ended all too soon as two solemn troopers crossed their path making their way to the bridge. His faced smoothed into a thin frown tugging at the edges of his lips at the lack of banter and general liveliness that he'd grown accustomed to.

"Thank you Comet, return to your post and tell the men everything is fine."

Comet stilled his face slackening into grief as he looked up at Wolffe. "Commander…about Waxer and the 212's."

Wolffe swallowed steadying himself against one of the metal walls of the ships hallways at the sudden dizziness he felt. "What about them?"

"The men… they wanted to hold a parting salute. We're not sure if it's appropriate sir…" Comet politely pretended to ignore Wolffe's moment of weakness and Wolffe was thankful for it. "I'll…I'll speak with General Koon. Have the men hold a moment of silence for the fallen. Maybe after the coming incursion we can arrange a salute."

"Yes sir, thank you sir." Comet saluted briefly before making his way towards the bridge. Wolffe straightened into a casual military pose and made his way to the General's meditating chamber. He paused at the entrance waiting for the door to slide open.

He swallowed as he crossed the threshold into the spacious room beyond. Plo Koon sat crossed legged in a meditative trance. The air was heavily charged but he stood at attention respectfully as he waited for the General to open his eyes.

When he did so he spoke. "Commander. It is good to see you walking about."

"Thank you General." He felt a slight sting at his General breaking tradition and not visiting him when he was in the medbay. However it was not a General's prerogative to do so and so he clamped down on the feeling.

"If I may I believe it best for morale if you appeared before the men sir. They are uneasy at the uncertain lack in chain of command." The General seemed to frown at his words.

"Do you truly think they need the presence of a Jedi at this very point in time, Commander?" He glanced out the viewport at the galaxy beyond before glancing back at the general his mind made up.

"I do indeed sir. I understand General Krell may have caused some fear and uncertainty within the ranks but I assure you Sir the men would be glad to have you back.

"You are so sure of this Commander?"

"If I may be so bold sir General Krell was no Jedi. A man is not just his title, a man is his actions. The Council may have not formally declared him a renegade prior to the incursion on Umbara but the men know no real Jedi would act in such an unbecoming manner."

"Your optimism is refreshing Wolffe, however you must know not every Jedi Master believes as I do. For some clones are merely a means to an end. It is unfortunate that some think in this however I am not under the misapprehension that the clones are unaware of such a thing."

"Perhaps, but there have been clone deserters that does not make all clones deserters. With all due respect General as powerful as the force is and as powerful as the Jedi are is it not possible that you are sentient life forms as well?" Because while his General did seem invincible with his power at times, wise beyond measure, and kind beyond comprehension he had encountered other Jedi. And they seemed human to him, much like the overeager Padawan Tano, and the reckless General Kenobi.

The air seemed to lessen in its intensity. Wolffe saw something akin to a smile cross the Kel Dor's face. "Thank you Commander."

"For what Sir."

"The force works in mysterious ways but at times the answer comes in the most profound and clear manner indeed."

"Sir?"

"It is nothing of concern Wolffe, I believe you wanted to debrief me?"

"Yes sir, of course sir. I have yet to run the simulations however I will give you a rundown of the mission parameters. Is that acceptable?"

"It is indeed Commander though perhaps you should sit, or you may wear yourself out."

"Of course sir."

-0-0-0-

The battle was won. The men stood in silence as they observed the salute. A final send off for the brave men who had perished on the hellhole of a planet called Umbara. Wolffe stood in his crisp white uniform arms folded behind his back in a military pose as he observed the men on the bridge. Most were holding it together. Several were crying freely however, friendship and brotherhood could at times go beyond ones squadron and they did. Many had known the troopers that had died. Drank with them, laughed with them, had grown up together on Kamino before assignment. Death, death was brutal, death was painful, death was cruel and unforgiving.

Wolffe's own eyes were dry as he instinctively held back the tears. There would be a time to cry for the fallen. But he couldn't find it in him to openly weep with others watching. He sighed as the last of the laser display dissolved into the vast emptiness of space and the Galaxy beyond. They had been good men. They had died well.

He stood there on the bridge as long as his will would allow it before he turned. Walking away from the pain he saw, the pain he felt, the pain that tore at him, every death reopening the wound in his heart the wound in his soul. Because sometimes pain had no closure had no comfort. Sometimes pain lingered as it grew festering like a dark seed of doubt and hurt.

-0-0-0-

The darkness that he dreamt off gnawed at his senses. It tore all sense of self away. Cold ice in his veins as he walked the darkened fields of Umbara twisted in nightmares of blaster fire and carpet bombings. He ran through the field his blaster pistols at the ready shooting at the dark shadows that ran from cover to cover from tree to tree. The heavy fire intensified and he was left pinned down under the heavy artillery and bombardment of the AT-AT's that shot periodically at his own cover missing badly but shaking the ground with intensity as they did so.

He heard the screams of the Tiefighters coming in for another round of aerial bombardment. A shell went off and he was suddenly propelled into the air shrapnel shredding through his armor cutting at his flesh sending spikes of agony through his stomach. A spike of adrenaline rushed through him as he just barely rolled into cover shooting at the enemy forms as he advanced. A shadow cornered him from behind. He shot at it as it grabbed his blaster pistol missing wildly. Wasting no time he kicked his knee into the shadows midriff breaking ribs as he did so. His left blaster found an expanse of space and he shot at the exposed stomach in a point blanc, the red heat of his blaster leaving a gaping hole in the man's abdomen. His eyes widened as he pulled his pistol away the shadow shifting and changing in his arms as it grasped his shoulders shaking in pain.

"Commander."

His eyes widened as the figure now clad in white blue grey trooper armor shakily removed his helmet the telltale insignia of the Wolff pack etched on it and his pauldrons.

"Sinker?"

"Sweet force!" His eyes widened as blood trickled from the corner of Sinker's mouth. He tried to ease him to the ground only to find the forest of Umbara littered with other troopers all wearing the fierce Wolff pack insignia. Their forms all twisted in pain and agony. Their deaths all varying yet all violent. He fell to his knees with Sinker in his arms fear jolting through his senses as he felt an intense heat at the nape of his neck.

He turned his head ever so slightly only to see the brilliance of a blue lightsaber. He swallowed thickly as his eyes sought the owner.

"General?" Shock raw and cold mixed with fear and the intense agony of loss as General Koon towered above him the fields all littered in bodies and what had been violent deaths from AT-AT fire were now deaths carved out at the mercy of a lightsaber.

"You have failed me Commander." His eyes widened as the lightsaber swung. The heat burned his face, burned his prosthetic burned his once good eye. Carving a line of fire into his face.

He awoke in hot and cold sweat shooting up in his bed as his hand probed his face, felt the prosthetic probing at it the eye burning in his flesh as if it had been just implanted but hours ago. His eyes sought the dark expanse of his room and he shuddered a breath as his eyes caught the viewport and the galaxies that were beyond. He evened his breathing as he gazed at the shimmering lights the images of his mind receding as he finally convinced himself that all he had been witness to was just a dream.

His eyes found the chrono, it had been but three hours since he'd closed his eyes for some rest and already his mind was torturing him. He pulled himself up feeling at his damp shirt plastered to his skin as he peeled it off. Making his way to the shower he stripped off the rest of his clothing allowing the scalding hot water of the bath to sooth away his nightmares. All too quickly however the burning hot water reminded him of the heat at the nape of his neck and that which loomed over his face ready to remove his last remaining eye. He changed the settings sharply to a warm drizzle leaning against the shower wall as he did so and crossing his arms across his chest.

For a nightmare that one had been rather short and more to the point then he'd have liked. He was afraid. He'd had thought the fear of a lightsaber would have receded by now. His General was no threat after all and would ever hurt him in that way. Or would he? He had never thought a Jedi would be capable of the cruelty and hate General Krell had displayed and yet it was so. And even after all that General Krell had done Dogma was still in Republic custody. And with good reason from the Senates point of view. No matter how bad the Jedi they were still Jedi and clones were still clones. The hearing would occur but Dogma's career looked bleak. They wouldn't execute him publicly that would be too much. But Wolffe didn't doubt for one moment that there was a possibility that Dogma would be declared unfit for duty or worse yet sent for reconditioning which every clone knew by now meant silent execution.

His fist clenched as he studied his open palm after unclenching it. General Koon would never hurt him or the men but if anything happened to General Koon there was a high chance they would get a Jedi who just didn't care. But even so what was stopping General Koon from turning. Hadn't Count Dooku turned? And he'd been on the Jedi Council. He remained in his pose allow the water wash over him as his mind returned to the battle of Umbara and what had occurred there.

To think that brother was pitted against brother. That he could one day be misinformed in such a way that he was shooting at his own men. He could understand war; he could understand tactics and battle but treachery. This was a new phase to the war. One he was beginning to wish he had never been privy to though he knew that knowing of it now gave him an edge small as it was. He sighed at length, he was clean, no use in wasting good water even if it was mostly recycled.

Turning of the faucets he was back in uniform within the next few minutes taking his time to gauge whether the small scruff on his face was still acceptable. He found that it was as it was still mostly a five o'clock shave but he'd have to trim it if he wanted to keep it for the next two weeks while he regained whatever weight he'd lost. It was taking him longer this time but he couldn't blame his body. He'd been too busy running the battle to eat more than several ration bars and though those things filled you up they weren't exactly meant for body building.

He was also cutting back heavily on the meds and feeling more light headed than usual. He hadn't realized how much he'd began relying on the white haze that came with being kriffed up on meds. That wasn't good. He wondered whether he should be reporting this to Coric. The man was now also monitoring the psychological state of those troopers under him along with his other brothers that too served under him as medical personal. But if he did report it there was a high chance that Coric would start monitoring him even more closely and while Wolffe didn't mind being monitored he would mind it greatly if Coric began keeping an exceedingly close eye on him and force him to cut back even more on the meds.

He made his way back to his room. Another thirty minutes had passed on the chrono. He had four or so more hours to go till his official rotation. No really now that he thought about it he had no official rotation. It was a touch and go for the most part and though he wasn't expected on the bridge for another good hour or so he found that he wasn't quite sure what to do with his time. He'd taken out a datapad on one of the older galactic wars trying to see if any of the tactics could be reimplemented but after the dreams of death and general exhaustion he wasn't sure he could stomach any more deaths and the wars of old had death in plenty. The strategies gave him some ideas of his own though and as he looked out the viewport leaning against the side wall he wondered how the galaxy would look like to him had he lived several thousand years ago. And how it would look like were he not a clone. He wasn't interested in marriage or the like per say but still. The average human life span was far longer than that of a clone and he was left wondering what he would miss out for being a clone. His musing lasted a good thirty minutes before he found that he'd been brooding over what had occurred on Umbara.

Pushing himself off the side of the viewport he turned and headed for the barracks. Wondering whether anyone else was having trouble sleeping or whether he should just make his way to the bridge and play guess at the sector they were to be deployed next. With any luck Ever or Jinx would still be up. They kept odd hours at times. Ever because of those holovids he loved watching and Jinx with his datapad reading obsession.

The barracks he entered were near silent. It was mid shift and most of the men in this shift were in their sleeping pods resting. Wolffe walked past the bunks the lights dimmed save one. It was aways in the corner the lowest pod to his left. The trooper in question was slid out of his row. A low light on as he skimmed a datapad propped up on his elbow. Hearing footsteps the man turned and recognizing his Commander he shot up throwing a hasty salute.

"At ease," It was Jinx, the three red teardrops under his right eye and the generic clone haircut giving him away.

"Hey Commander, Sir."

"Just one of those will do." Wolffe folded his arms across his chest leaning against one of the pods. "So what are we reading?"

"Oh these." Jinx chuckled nervously. "Just reg manuals."

"You're joking." Everyone knew that reg manuals were a living hell for troopers. No one just voluntarily read them out of the goodness of their heart.

"No sir. I guess I acquired a taste for them. There kind of useful sir. The reg manuals I mean…" Wolffe inclined his head for the trooper to continue. Clearly he had something on his mind.

"This ones about military protocol. How and when executions are allowed I mean. And whether clones have a right to…" He swallowed nervously biting his lower lip.

"I'm listening."

"Whether we clones have a right to execute our Generals, Sir." Jinx held on to the datapad as if Wolffe were about to confiscate it but he merely frowned trying to keep the worry from his voice.

"Is this about Dogma?"

"Yes sir. He'd never, he'd never do anything against protocol Sir! Everyone knows that! But now…now he's being tried like a criminal! He's done nothing wrong."

"Then he has nothing to fear." Wolffe didn't like where this was going. He himself had thought along the same lines and though he understood the upper workings of politics he also understood that the system didn't care for anything but a semblance of order even if said order was false.

"Who else is reading reg manuals like you Jinx." Jinx swallowed again not meeting his eye.

"Jinx I can assure you're not in trouble. I'm not reporting you to the General or anything like that. Kriff look I just want to know who else is still kriffed up from General Krell. I can't exactly come up and ask everyone you know?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean Sir. I…I'll answer that but you didn't hear it from me alright."

"Don't worry about it Jinx." And Wolffe meant it. They were brothers. Through thick or thin they had each others back.

"Alright." Jinx collapsed onto his bunk pod as if a heavy weight were about to be lifted from his shoulders hands dangling between his legs head drooping. The pose alarmed Wolffe though he didn't say it as he attempted to loosen up his shoulders his body instinctively having bracing itself for what he was about to hear.

"The truth is Sir, we're all still kriffin scared. Kark it when we saw Krell using you like that, when I saw Krell using you like his personal carpet kark I, I hated him. And when he started throwing you around with the force and I…I wasn't there. You may not have seen me but I came in when General Krell called for the troopers to get blasters for your execution. When I saw that lightsaber over your face… when I…when the men lined up to fire at you…I…I couldn't watch! Kark it all Commander. I…I was so scared. I thought he was gonna torture you in front of our eyes and make us watch. I've never seen anything o karked up in my entire life. The room felt so wrong. Everything felt so unreal. When General Koon came in we thought you were done for you know. You don't remember it but I do. You were choking for breath like there was no air around like that time when I saw you after the maintenance pod. And General Krell didn't even look back! He didn't even look back!" Jinx voice was almost hysterical now but he didn't stop. It was as if a damn had been opened and he couldn't stop. "Coric took forever to get there. He didn't know what had happened and even if he had there was only so much time he'd need to get the equipment up to the bridge…and then the General was there. General Koon. He was yelling at you. Kark." Jinx laughed bitterly. "I've never heard him raise his voice like that. He was shaking you telling you to breathe but you weren't listening. You, you just weren't there. Kark it all you were staring right past him, right past all of us. It was so messed up. I can't forget your face, your horrified face. And then he did something. I don't know what with the force. You struggled against it at first but then he did these motions over your chest and you started breathing properly and then you went under."

Wolffe swallowed his eyes full of confusion. "I don't…I don't remember any of that. I remember having trouble breathing and then…and then the General put his hand on my forehead and that was it."

"I don't think you would, you were so out of it. It was after General Krell left. It was like you but not like you. You were like that for a good ten minutes Sir, General Koon did something with the force, he kept telling you to breath but you weren't there and then finally you snapped out of it. He called for the oxygen tank then. We were all so shaken to have thought of that and Koon was so busy trying to get you to snap out of it. You were laughing at something after that. Kark it all you were so out of it."

"What…what happened next." If Wolffe had been worried before worry couldn't express what he was feeling now.

"General Koon knocked you out good with that force technique whatever he did. Then Coric came up. You… you should have seen his face. Kark it I've never seen the kid cry like that before. We were all crying after that when Coric took you away and the shock wore off."

"You know what happened next?" Jinx chuckled weakly. "Sinker. Sinker yelled at General Koon. Stars I've never seen him yell at anyone. You know how he is. He just lost it Commander, you should have seen his face. He was furious. He yelled at the General for abandoning us. For giving us a karked up General. He yelled at him for letting General Krell do what he did to you and for not picking up his damn comm."

"You should have heard him." 'Sweet love of the force could you not take a moment of your time to contact us? Aren't we your pack? Kriff it I thought you cared for us! I thought you cared for Wolffe. But when push comes to shove you don't give a Kriff. Did you even think to contact Wolffe? Check on us maybe? Because while you were down there on Alderaan drinking tea and bowing out formalities Wolffe was trying to keep this lunatic away from us. But you didn't even think for one moment about us did you? It's all about the force for you isn't it? It's alright if we die isn't it?' Wolffe inhaled sharply at the recording Jinx had played.

"Where'd you get that?"

"Easy, the bridge has cam's remember. I had Slice upload it to my holo. Er may have uploaded it…to show to you…but never had the guts I guess, half the crew has the recording. It's top secret though and we all sound the same anyway."

"Kriff it Jinx. This could be grounds for treason."

"Oh Kark it all Commander you didn't even hear the best part."

'Because we're replaceable right? Well guess what so are you cause you know where Jedi come from? There's more of em like Krell. More of you. So your kriffin replaceable too.'

"Kriff." Wolffe's face lost what little color it had as he grabbed the holo from Jinx's hands.

"Commander, Kark, please!"

"Jinx! We need to wipe this from the flagships cams! Are you kriffin insane! If anyone gets wind of this!"

Jinx sprang up face livid. "Kark the rules Commander! You said you wanted to know how bad it was. I told you how bad it was! And now your angry with me!? You know what! Stars! I should've known you'd choose the General!"

"Jinx wait!" But the trooper in question had stormed out in a rage. Wolffe's hand shook as he lifted the holo. Thankfully there were no cams in the barracks to have heard a replay of the holo. This was dangerous. This was exceedingly dangerous. If level headed men like Sinker were losing it he had to speak with the General at once. He had to put a lid on this before the senate or any of the higher ups caught wind of this. He made his way to the General's quarters fear and disbelief marring his senses. His legs felt weak. Kriff it he felt weak. He'd been out for so long he hadn't even known what had happened! And while he'd been busy recovering and trying to fix his kriffed up mind so were the men. Kriff it all. Everything made sense. Everything made so much sense now. Why General Koon had remained in his chambers. Why the General wasn't there when he'd been kriffed up on meds. Even Sinker's avoidant behavior made sense. They were all walking on thin ice, and he'd been left in the dark.

Kriff it all. He tried to refrain himself from pounding on the door. Nearly falling inside when the door slid open only to be steadied by General Koon an arm on his shoulder. "General, Sir!" His General must have felt his agitation as he allowed him inside because the General didn't speak at first. Merely allowed him to collapse cross legged on the floor before himself going up to the viewport and gazing at the stars beyond. The action unnerved Wolffe. As did the holo in his hands. He was losing it. Losing his mind. Losing his Command. Kriff it his men had broken protocol, kriff it all his best man, his second in Command had actual broken protocol to yell at the General. This was bad.

"Wolffe breathe." His head snapped up only to see the General kneeling down beside him a hand on his shoulder. He flinched involuntarily as his eye caught the glint of the lightsaber but thankfully he was able to bring himself to breath properly.

"General, I…" There was just so much to say. His thoughts came a disoriented mess as General Koon rose and settled himself in meditative pose across from him at a distance waiting for him to gather himself. Wolffe steeled himself.

"This holo. What Sinker said. He didn't mean it. The things he said were done so in anger. I know the men are hurting I just didn't realize how shaken they were. But please General don't hold it against him."

He bowed his head as the air stilled dampening in sorrow as the General spoke. "I had thought you of all would know that I understand the pain of the men, Commander."

"I understand sir. Perhaps you would allow such behavior but the Republic does not. We are in its service and speaking out against a superior in such a manner is forbidden. If anyone Sir, and I mean anyone gets wind of this. Sinker could be discharged. So please I beg of you find a way to destroy the recordings."

"I will order it effective immediately Commander."

"Oh Kriff. Oh no…"

"Wolffe?"

"We can't tamper with the recordings. Oh sweet force!"

"Wolffe."

"For Dogma's trial. They will ask for a full seventy two hour surveillance from when General Krell attacked me on the bridge. Oh Kriff it they will see what Sinker has done." Of sweet force above why? The senate would request a recording a full recording of what had occurred so that they could free Dogma or at least officially retire him or whatever the force the senate would do. One never knew these days. But in doing so the senate would see Sinker's condemning speech. And after that the senate would tear Sinker apart if not every clone under his command. Clones didn't speak in that manner to their superiors. If the senate found out that clones could renegade on their General's in such a manner. Darkness it was everywhere and nowhere. It surrounded him as men went to their deaths. Good men his men. It didn't matter what they did. If they strayed from the path they were killed. Whether shot by the separatists in the front or shot by the republic they served in the back. Oh sweet force this was all so wrong.

"Commander. Calm yourself. It is possible to give only a part of the recording. I could speak with the Council on the matter. And the Council in turn will speak with the Supreme Chancellor."

"General with all due respect do you really think the Supreme Chancellor." He bit his tongue eyes searching for any recording device as General Koon's worried gaze pierced him. "You may speak freely here Commander no one will hear you."

"With all due respect General. I…" He swallowed thickly. "Before Umbara, I could believe in anything. But after…kriff Sir, I can't…I can't do this alone! You can't leave me! You can't leave the men! I've never seen Jinx so shaken! Kriff it General! We're soldiers! I know I'm breaking every protocol right now! And have broken so many just by coming here to speak with you but kriff it all these regulations! We're not droids! We live in the Republic! Why can't we speak what we think? You say we can but you'll see. No one cares for us General. When General Skywalker came to save us from Abregado I believed in the Jedi. I believed in the Republic. But with Dogma about to be executed for doing his duty!? Kriff General I'm a Commander not a politician!"

He focused on his breathing. Focused on his first mission. When things had been easy. When your foe was in front of you and you could shoot him with a blaster. He'd never thought of the senate as anything but just. The keepers of peace and order. But now that he thought about it. After every battle fought and every death suffered. After all of this it all came down to Dogma. The one man who would be executed for doing his duty and had every single clone in the entire clone army questioning what it was they were fighting for and who it was they were fighting for. Because he knew the other Commanders were thinking it after they heard what happened on Umbara. He knew what his brothers under those Commanders were thinking because it all came down to one question. Did sentient beings of the Republic, even those that turned separatist have more rights than the clones themselves? He knew the Commanders understood what was going on. They were his brothers, they were bred for this. Because as long as the clones were docile and shooting droids they were heroes. But the moment even one of them took out a sith they were dangerous. They weren't there original creator who was payed for killing. They were pale imitations. And if and when they stepped out of line beurocracy would come and give them a slap on the wrist with several nice executions. Because the men could say anything to their General's in fact what Sinker said could be waived as stress and fear. But if the senate got a hold of it, they would fear the clones. Fear that they were alive. That they had minds of their own. He'd spoken to Fox. Spoken to Thorn. Spoken to the other Commanders and while they, the Commanders were expected to be creative and different everyone else was not. Because the Senate could fathom several individuals running the show. But the moment the clones received individuality they became humanized and then sending them to war became inhumane in their eyes.

The revelation shook him to the core. He found that he couldn't move. Couldn't bother to be moved. Everything was just so numb. So bleak. For all his vast intelligence. For all the information at his disposal he had been so blind. He'd believed in the ideals of the republic like a naïve child. But the truth of the matter was that no one cared about the clones so long as they kept their mouths shut and got the job done.

He found it suddenly very hard for him to breathe, it was much, too much. Every other breath hitched, his breathing breaking of in sharp intervals of agony. He closed his eyes against the pain concentrating on willing his lungs to work for him. A warm hand rested on his shoulder, his eyes snapped open instinctively only to find General Koon kneeling by his side his masked face peering down at him in concern.

"Wolffe. I am sorry for this." And as he gazed at General Koon saddened demeanor he knew his General understood. Had always understood that in the end it could play out this way. "I will speak with the Council Wolffe. I will ensure that the senate sees only what it should see. And I must apologize. I have not done so because I was not sure at the best course of action. Sinker may have spoken in his anger and love for you and the men but when one speaks in anger one often times speaks of what is written in ones very being. Sinker is but one man but he speaks for all the men under my Command. I have failed you Wolffe. I have failed you all and for that I must apologies."

Wolffe's eyes widened as he felt a tear trickle down his good eye. It was a feeling of warmth such as he had never felt before. The feeling was like the brightest of lights in the darkest edges of space. And for all the pain he had endured and all the suffering that he'd seen it was this feeling warmth that filled him. The cold that had always clung to him like a blanket seemed to lessen as the galaxy beyond shone ever brighter. He'd never felt this only seen it with his eyes. Because Boba had a father as had many of his trainers though they did not speak of them. The Kaminoan's too had families strange as they were as did most in the Republic whether they be among the living or the dead. Only the clones had no family. They were shades after all only brothers, shades of a better man. But right here right now he did not feel like a shade. He did not feel like a clone. Because right here right now General Koon filled something inside of him, something that had been missing for a very long time. And though they were not connected by blood they were connected by something more powerful.

He found that despite the tear tracking down his cheek he was warm inside. "I…I forgive you General…I will always forgive you…the men will to. They…they…we…I…" He found that he wasn't able to say it but when the pressure on his shoulder increased he knew he didn't need to. Because in the end of the day General Koon had understood him. Had always understood him. Ever since that day on Kamino that General Koon had chosen his Wolffepack the connection had always been there. He just had never realized it. It all made sense now, his General's constant concern. His ability to somehow always place himself where the fighting was thickest to bring back home the most men. In the end of the day it had always been this way. Because it seemed despite all the rules against attachment General Koon had landed himself with quite a number of men under him. Quite the number of sons.

-0-0-0-

He stood on the bridge running through another set of simulations. The chrono beeped twice and then twice more to get his attention. It was time. He shut of the display with a flick of his fingers before turning to the communications array opening a transmission as the doors to the bridge hissed open General Koon entering for the first time after there last skirmish.

"This is Commander Wolffe. I want all men turning on their holo's wherever on the bridge they may be." With a curt nod he made his way standing behind the General a little to his right as the General folded his hands behind his back nodding to Wolffe to begin the transmission.

"Koto Ya men. I am speaking to you today not as your General, not as your Superior but as a Jedi Master as myself. My actions aboard the Talon were unacceptable. They have been judged and deemed unfit for that of a commanding officer. One is not a General because of title alone. One is a General because he has men willing to follow his actions and his ideals. With my actions I have failed you. I do not expect your forgiveness nor understanding. But know it was not my intent to bring harm or cause pain. You are all my men, my responsibility and I will do what I must to ensure that my men are safe. It is for all of this I give my deepest regrets and apology.

He nodded once at Wolffe and the transmission ended.

-0-0-0-

The Senate would not accept anything less than a full recording. At length the Chancellor convinced the Senate to accept a partial recording. The Republic Court of Military red taped the evidence, giving it a classified status of the highest degree. The proof however was not sufficient. Dogma was dishonorably discharged from the military and placed in permanent Republic custody. No one heard from him after the final verdict was handed out and Dogma was taken out through another door, causing the Commanders to assume the worst, that he'd been executed quickly and silently after the trial. The actions quelled the unrest some of the Senators had caused supporting the brave clone who had fought valiantly against the fallen Jedi. The actions also sent a message to each and every clone out there in the Galaxy. That no matter who you were or what your rank you were a clone and you had your place.

Wolffe watched the news on the holonet. Watched the Senators cheering as the verdict was passed down thinking that their actions had made a difference. But to them every clone had the same face. It was only too easy to fool them into thinking that the clone in question was living somewhere out there. And as the cheering of the Senators died down. Democracy and the Republic died for him with them.

* * *

Er ok when I started this ch it was not supposed to go this way but it took on a life of its own and surprisingly built into the rebels canon of why Wolffe only cares about his brothers and no one else. Wolffe's blackout happens before and during the sentence. "Wolffe didn't realize he was having trouble breathing until General Koon shook him." He didn't realize it happened because sometimes the patient remembers things one way when everyone saw that it happened in a different way also when you're in a faint or about to pass out your perception can change about time or what going on. So Wolffe blacked out then his mind drew the subconscious fears of ventress to the surface and then he remembered thinking about ventress and not being able to stop the memories. And yes Wolffe is smart he's figured our rather quickly from the way he found out General Krell was sent to Umbara to the way Dogma is being tried, what the senate thinks on clones. That's what happens when he's not on meds he figures things out. And I have a feeling Fox figured it out to before Palpatine kriffed his mind up.

The whole senate thing. My point is that Umbara was a turning point. It was at that moment when the war became real to the clones. Because now it wasn't just fighting a bunch of droids. It was fighting what you thought was right and what your commanding officer said and claimed to be right. I don't think only Rex's squad suffered after Umbara. I think after Umbra and the news was out every clone realized they could be next. Or this could happen to them. I think that this just as much as Tup's actions caused the clones to realize what a fine line they walked between death from separatist forces death from insanity because of all the ptsd and death from stepping out of line.

Seriously tell me what you think! Reviews are much loved and much appreciated:)


	6. The Pain of War

Ch6: The Pain of War

Wolffe swallowed as he leaned against the railing of his vantage point. The pain in his chest an angry throb of agony dull and sharp flaring as he gazed at the skyline of Coruscant the stars and nebulas still pale twinkling in the far distance the red sunset of Coruscant having just begun.

He'd been reassigned to Coruscant with all the crazy going on, clones losing it, Fives turning on his own. His men had taken it all in stride. They were finally getting cut some slack. Boost and Sinker had been ecstatic. They were all itching for a good fight but a break after the streak of redeployments they'd been forced into was a refreshing relief. They would never admit it aloud but the skirmishes and days of nonstop gunfire had taken a lot out of the men. Wolffe himself had been looking forward to some downtime. Several nights of rest in a bed where there was no danger of an aerial bombardment or an AT-At attaché was not something he was about to turn down especially after their last deployment.

They'd made it to Coruscant in good time. The men all taking off to pass the few days they had to themselves before they would be redeployed to reinforce the home guard. He himself had lingered by the main plaza. The fountains always caught his eye as did the general vastness of the plaza's and shops and the people, the movement of every day existence. His place was on the battlefield. Giving orders, rerouting men, shooting separatists and strategizing, building trenches, running simulations. But sometimes just allowing himself to look at the lives of others as they mulled about their mundane day to day existence it gave him a strange sense of calm even if he knew he didn't belong to this life. The sensation of daily activity, it filled up his mind in a pleasant background buzz of noise and color blanking out his mind and saving him from having to brood over the war, his nightmares, his fears. Here he was one of them. Another face in the endless sea of faces of those walking around and about as they took care of their daily business. It was easy enough to blend in if you were out of armor. Most civilians didn't look at you twice as they went about their daily existence.

It had only been three hours in when Coric found him leaning against a railing by the fountain plaza mind drifting as he idly observed the activity below. The moment he'd seen Coric's face he'd known something was wrong. Something was very wrong. Coric was shivering, his eyes wide in fear and sorrow. He explained it all very slowly his eyes never leaving Wolffe's face. Repeated the news several times over to make Wolffe listen to make him understand. But Wolffe had stopped listening. His face blanched as the words turned to a dull noise in the back of his mind as he processed what he had heard.

Thorn, Thorn was dead. He'd died only ten standard hours ago. He'd died just as Wolffe had secured another victory for the Republic. He'd died as Wolffe had smiled at the viewport thinking that this time it had been enough. He'd been enough. And now, Thorn was dead. Had been dead as his ship had made it for Coruscant had been dead as Wolffe had celebrated his victory with the men.

He hadn't believed it at first. Couldn't believe it at first. Thorn, Thorn was the best of them. He was the best shot. With a blaster, with a pistol, top notch in hand to hand combat, fastest grenade setter, best artillery man, top notch AT-At shooter. He was lousy at all the datapad work but when it came down to it Thorn was the best at what he did. And he did a great many things. So when he heard the news he didn't believe it, couldn't believe it, couldn't bring himself to believe it.

He was numb. He denied what he'd heard. Denied it even as Coric grasped his hand gently, repeating words that he could not hear. Repeating words of comfort that he could not care to hear could not bear to hear. He denied it. Denied everything. It hadn't been Thorn, it couldn't have been Thorn. He stood their numbly as Coric tried to make him see, tried to make him understand. At length he understood. It sank in slowly. The realization that Thorn had died, was dead, had been dead for hours now. He made Coric drag him to the conference room. Made him show him the death as it played on the holonet. It had been the only thing playing on the Coruscanti news in an endless time loop a tribute to the Commanders heroism. Watched it, watched as Thorn tore down droid after droid hundreds of separatist droids shredded by his hands before he fell, body riddled with tens of hundreds of blaster marks. He collapsed into a chair the darkness of the room only accenting his loss, underlining his pain.

He shut the holonet off after the first replay through. He couldn't see the death another time. Wasn't sure if he would survive it. A lump in his chest had formed making it hard to breathe a cold knife of pain, loss, grief. His men had come. Boost and Sinker. Had spoken to him had spoken at him. And as they spoke something inside him broke, slowly and painfully, tearing at his senses at the walls of his mind at his sense of self. The world tilted precariously on its axis, reality and the realm of illusion overlapping as his body shook sweat pouring down his brow from the sheer shock of the death. He fled. His men had tried to follow him but he knew Coruscant like the back of his hand, several turns through the streets and he was gone.

He stood now at a vantage point of a skylinescraper looking down at the city below as the wind blew through his hair, pain tearing at his prosthetic eye, pain tearing at his soul. Thorn was dead. Thorn, his friend, his brother, his blood brother. They had grown up together. He and Thorn. Played together, laughed together, had each other six. Wherever Thorn was Wolffe was sure to be seen. Wherever Wolffe was holed up brooding pouring over strategies Thorn could be found punching away at a bag as he pretended to listen to what he called obsessive jargon only to be called a hypocrite in turn. They'd known each other since infancy. Had been together till they'd gotten their squads and even then, wherever Hammersquad lounged around for break time Wolffpack could be found. No one messed with them or their packs because picking kriff with one meant inviting the other for some up close and personal peace negotiations. They'd been nearly inseparable, until the war. Until deployment. Until Geonosis. And now, now Thorn was dead. He hadn't seen Thorn in months, hadn't heard from him in just as long.

After Abregado, nothing had ever been the same. They'd both grown distant, they were Commanders. They had battles to run, wars to fight. And Fox he didn't recognize him anymore. His skittish clever brother. He was gone. What had once been skittishness had given way to arrogance. And his cleverness had turned into something dark something twisted. A shiv that tore at others a shiv that tore at Fox himself.

Fox too had grown distant, had grown cold. Calculating in a way Wolffe had never seen before. He'd met Fox briefly when he'd fled. They'd embraced. Fox had laughed. 'Just another one of many brothers, Wolffe. Just another one eh?' The words shook him to the core as he backed away from the twisted broken face backed away from another dead brother. Wolffe didn't recognize him anymore. Couldn't recognize him anymore. It was at that moment that he'd realized that he'd lost another brother. Had lost two brothers in the span of an hour. It was much, too much.

He knew death; he'd lost so many men the stars of the galaxy could pale in comparison. But Thorn he was the best of them. If anyone would have lived it would be him. Wolffe new his day would come one day, all clones did. He just hadn't thought that he'd outlive Thorn. Outlive the best of them. Outlive his friend, outlive his blood brother. It was much. Too much.

He gripped the railing as he shook; the pain cascaded down his shoulders into his arms and down his legs. It took all of his strength just to remain upright from the miasma of darkness and desolation that brushed the edges of his sense. He couldn't do this anymore. Couldn't lose another one of his brothers. Abregado, Khorm, Geonosis, Dorin, Umbara. The list of planets was lengthy. The names of the brothers lost several hundred times longer.

He couldn't do this. He'd lost so many. Too many. He reached for his blaster studying it as it lay in the cradled in the palm of his hand. One shot was all it would take. And it would be over. It would all be over. The deaths, the battles, the fighting the nightmares the pain. He swallowed thickly as he balanced the weapon his mind at war with itself. It was screaming, he was screaming, it was drowning, he was drowning. In loneliness and heartache in desolation and despair. His men, he couldn't do this to them, couldn't take away another brother. But he couldn't do this to himself, this life he lived, the deaths he faced, the never ending carpet bombings the never ending array of blaster fire, snipers and heavy hitters, rocket launchers and bombs, starfighter battles ground assaults. His body shook at the phantom memories of it all. The pain of blaster marks riddling his body. The fear that they wouldn't make it in time. That they wouldn't be extracted in time. The fear that they would all die nameless deaths on nameless planets in nameless graves their bodies too disfigured to be identified their lives to insignificant for it to matter.

He placed the blaster over his heart. Closing his eyes as he concentrated on his heartbeat as it fluttered in his chest constricting painfully and erratically as the deaths of all those he held dear tore anew raw his bleeding heart. A little pressure on the trigger. That's all it would take. It would be over. It would be all over. His finger trembled as he counted his heartbeats. His heart fluttering in his chest his breath hitched his heart skipping a beat as his hand loosened its hold lowering the blaster He couldn't do it. He wasn't strong enough to do it. Or was he? In a swift motion he pressed his blaster to his temple. Perhaps it would be easier this way. He closed his eyes once more only to throw away the weapon in disgust.

He couldn't go through with it. Couldn't do it to his men. Couldn't do it to Sinker to Boost to Coric. They'd be devastated and he'd be to dead to care. But he just couldn't do it.

He grasped the railing as his breathing came out in shallow gasps turning to lean against it gazing at the city below the red sunset of Coruscant bathing the vastness of the city below in a breathtaking view. His mind reeling at what he'd just nearly done, what he'd just tried to do.

It hurt. The loss the deaths the memories so full of life so full of death and no matter how hard he tried the wish of death did not abate. He stood there shivering at the cold draft as the adrenaline began wearing off cold sweat slicking his brow.

He needed to tell someone what had happened. Needed to tell Coric. But if he did he'd be grounded for sure, if not sent back to Kamino for a quarantine. They'd quarantine anyone these days with the slightest of provocations. What had started as an assumption built from grief and pain had only been proven true. Clones were feared. If Fives's death was anything to go by clones were beginning to be feared even by the general public. If one could go mad what stopped others?

Nothing made sense anymore. Fox, himself, the war. He felt a dizzying sensation and he pressed his forehead to the cool metal to abate it.

-0-0-0-

It was dark by the time the General found him, the stars and nebulas in the sky above majestic and breathtaking. The door to the skyliner opened the draft intensifying the chill of the night as his body tensed against it.

"I thought I'd find you here." He tried not to flinch as the General made his way to his side a warm hand landing on his shoulder. Wolffe didn't speak. Wasn't sure what to speak off. Only that the sharp pain of loss had dulled giving way to a burning heat at the base of his heart.

"Your men are worried for you Commander."

"They asked you to find me didn't they?" The General sighed and something warm was draped over his form. His eyes widened fractionally as he realized it was the General's Jedi robe.

"You ran off. They feared for what you might do, so yes they asked me to ensure you did not attempt anything foolish." Wolffe chuckled hollowly at the words the pressure on his shoulder only intensifying. "I heard the news, I am sorry for your loss." The General's eyes trailed around the perimeter at his silence his keen senses catching the discarded blaster on the skyliner's roof. But Wolffe knew the proof of the blaster was unnecessary. His presence and the turbulence of his emotions through the force was more than enough for a Jedi. The scene had General Koon spinning the Commander around to face him as both hands grasped at his shoulders searching Wolffe's face. "What did you do?"

The sting of shame enveloped him as he found that he couldn't look away from his General's gaze. But he found that whatever it was he had wanted to say it had stilled at the tip of his tongue as his knees buckled under him from exhaustion.

"Wolffe." The General sank to the floor with him not abating his hold shaking him out of his numb stupor. "I…I couldn't do it. I'm sorry I tried General. I understand if you want to send me to Kamino for this." The unspoken terror of what that might entail was easily sensed by the force user.

"No one is sending you anywhere Wolffe. You need rest. Accepting death is difficult made more so because of a paramount of loss. But do you think Commander Thorn would have wanted you to follow him? If you had died is that what you would wish on your brother?"

"No." Plo Koon nodded to himself as he released his hold gently leaning the drained Commander against the low wall of the roof. They sat in this way together in silence. Wolffe with his grief and the General with his knowledge of what his Commander had attempted to do. At length Plo Koon broke the silence.

"Speaking of what you have lost often eases the burden."

"This is different."

"I knew Master Piel for many years. He was a good friend. An accomplished swordsman. And an asset to the Jedi for his great wisdom and even greater kindness. It was difficult for me to speak of him for many days after he had passed on. But you were there to listen."

"I…I can't…" He couldn't not now not yet. The pain was to great.

"I will be here when you are ready." Wolffe swallowed painfully a lump gathered at the base of his throat as he shivered further into the jedi robe engulfing him. The sharp cool air of Coruscant sent icy chills through his frame as his body fought against itself in waves of hot and cold spells of sweat nausea and dizziness as his General studied him frowning.

The force ebbed and flowed banked and turned in an ever flowing and ever winding passage. His eyes raked the stars as he sat by the side of his Commander. His gold and amber signature so weak against the stars he could not have sensed it unless he'd known what he was looking for. The weak flame twisted and flared higher and lower against the onslaught of memories a harsh maelstrom of wind and power against the weak flickering of the amber flame. What had once been a pillar of willpower and beacon of loyalty had been brought low with terror that no man should have witnessed and fear and agony that no ordinary man could survive. The pain was raw and old, sharp and fresh. It was agony incarnate a loss so pointed and great so poigent and deep that were he not shielding the pain would have brought even him to his knees.

The pain sharpened and the Commander was left gasping for breath as he attempted to steady himself elbows on his knees cradling his head as he did so the flicker that was his life force thinning dangerously as if in faint.

His hands came up instinctively as he gripped the Commanders shoulders bracing him a hand rubbing soothing circles behind the shoulder blades from years of practice with temple younglings and frightened initiates. The Commanders human form relaxed slightly and Plo Koon was glad it was so. He steadied the man as he leaned back against the low wall eyes beseechingly on him. As if he were the man's lifeline. But in the force it was not a just the man he saw, but the boy. The man who was ready to face down armies, take on sith to protect his men but also the boy. The frightened and lonely boy who loved who craved to love and be loved and who broke with every death of a loved one. It was an attachment incarnate and one Jedi were not supposed to have but though it was so he understood. And so much more. As he looked on at his Commander it struck him how different he was from the other men. How different all his men were. And though in face they were all the same in the force they could have all just as well been wearing different faces. And as he thought upon this another thought came to mind. One he had not wished to dwell upon though now he did. The gross cruelty the Jedi had been privy to, a darkness marring the clear skies of galaxies twinkling above.

For when parents begat children they did not force them on a path, and if they did so in the end for the most part it was usually the child himself that chose his path. Even he a Jedi, each Jedi chose the path of the light it was not a chain upon him fettering him with that which he desired to break free off. But clones. The Kaminoans begat them and yet the clones were not free. And so it was the epitome of failure of the Jedi.

"I have just realized something Wolffe." The tone was heavy in apology as the General heaved a breath before continuing.

"What….what is it?" The tone alarmed Wolffe only to have General Koon sighing once more. "The Jedi had never authorized the creation of a clone army…and yet use it we did. We never asked whether the clones wished their fate upon themselves and so they fought."

"I don't understand…I am proud to fight for the Republic!" The words rang only half true for Wolffe and what had once been a zealous mantra had turned into words of habit the meaning behind them having change a long time ago. "It is an honor to fight by your side General…" Those words were true and they rang true in the force warming Koon's heart.

"Perhaps you are, however there have been many more deserters than the general public and the clone Commanders are appraised off. It is classified but it is so."

Wolffe's eyes widened though his presence sill leaked pain and exhaustion. "Why are you telling me this Commander?"

Plo Koon sighed. How could you tell a slave he was so? How could you explain to one that there was a freedom beyond service? And so he asked. "Tell me Wolffe what did Commander Thorn do in his free time?"

"Sir?"

"What did he do when he had no objectives to accomplish?"

"I…I don't know sir… we were always busy training…"

"I see…" Plo Koon sighed deeply, the matter was too great and deep, and now was not the time for its breaching.

The two sat in comfortable silence for a time one utterly spent the other musing on the tragedy that was the clone war. At length the silence was broken as Wolffe shifted his gaze to the stars his cybernetic eye mapping out the constellations for him before he blinked away the lines and words only to be left with the nebulas and stars of the sky in the black darkness above.

"General? May I ask a personal question?"

"You never need permission for that Commander"

"When Master Piel died…you told me he became one with the force…"

Wolffe swallowed hesitantly. "When Jedi die, they too become one with the Force. Where do clones go? Can they become one with the force as well?"

The question startled Koon not just for its depth but for the intensity with which Wolffe had asked the question, though truth be told he should have expected a question such as this to be posed by one of his men eventually. He tilted his head back resting it on the low railing as he gazed up at a particularly colorful nebula in the force above. "We are all part of the force Wolffe. The force is an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us. It penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together. Upon death we become part of the force, Jedi are merely strong enough and trained enough in the force to still reach over to the living."

"I… I see…" The Commander looked up at the stars once more his face pensive as his presence in the force ebbed and flowed gently flickering as it gathered its strength.

"So in the end…we are all together are we not? That's…"

"Commander?"

"Sorry Sir…it's just…we clones…don't…in another fifteen years if we even manage to survive that long...we'll all be…" There was a sharp sigh as Koon felt the sharp, painful and unspoken truth of inevitable death. "It's comforting to know that no matter the time and no matter space… we're never alone… and in the end… we'll see that… and you'll be there too…"

The words were so simple yet so profound. They carried such love and devotion commitment a silent plea to the world to Koon himself. And as a lone tear tracked down the Commanders face from his still good eye Koon found that he himself was openly shedding tears as well. "Yes Wolffe…I will be there as well." The thought was like a fire it lit the dredges of sorrow within him the veiled anguish at every battle fought that had chipped away at his trust in the force only to flare anew now. Because he had seemed to have never realized that despite the light around them despite every sorrow and trial in the end they would all be one… or perhaps he had always known and along the line somewhere had forgotten that in the end there would be peace and understanding even if it was not in this world.

There was pain and there was suffering and it was a Jedi's duty to do all he could to protect the weak and champion peace and end suffering but in the end as he had said so himself Jedi were not infallible. And though the desire to save the galaxy was great it was not always the case that everyone could indeed be saved. But through it all for good or bad there was a place the good and the innocent could go despite all this. So in the end all that was good would be saved it was just a matter of time. And while he himself had wished he could lessen the pain of the world he knew that he could not and it was not his place. The place of a Jedi was to try and though master Yoda had said do or do not there is no try many times that was all a Jedi was an attempt to make the galaxy a better place to reside within. But in the end of the day it was not just what he had done it was what he had tried to do. A thin unbidden smile came to his lips as he gazed at the now black sky above. His gaze shifted to the Commander whose exhausted flame in the force was gently flickering as the Commander breathed evenly in sleep the cool night of Coruscant whistling past them and the skyliner as it did so.

His Commanders actions were troubling he would have to keep a closer eye on Wolffe though truth be told he could not blame the Commander, so many had lost so much in the war that in the end all there was left to do was fight on. But through it all in the end…there was no pain no death only the force. And the thought among all others gave him comfort in the darkened times. The road ahead would be fraught with blood and agony but he wouldn't have to tread this path alone, and though a Jedi needed no such thing this thought too gave him a measure of comfort.

* * *

Okay so I know that the battle of Scipio where Thorn dies is much earlier in the seasons but because it came out in season six and because it makes more sense. Here Thorn dies around the time that Ashoka is condemned for the temple bombing. I think it's more fitting because of how Thorn dies. It underlines the strength of the clones while the General public is beginning to fear them because of Fives and other clones that had gone mad. I had this chapter lying around for a while and wasn't sure if I wanted to post it but then I figured why not? So excuse any grammar mistakes etc and tell me what you think, feedback is much appreciated.

Very dark stuff but that's war. Wasn't really sure if I should have posted this chapter. Feel free to tell me what you think, till next time.


	7. The Cold

Ch7: The Cold (In which it's finally the clones turn to take care of their General)

General Plo Koon sat in meditation as the Venator-class Star Destroyer that was his flagship hovered over Kabal. Its orbit directly above the largest island on the mostly ocean covered world. The trade federation had abandoned this world in a strategic move for the Republic to raise taxes on the imports, as it was an Outer Rim planet in the Mayagil sector, in the Sharlissian Trade Corridor, which was quite a distance from the core worlds. However when the Republic did not do so Count Dooku had encouraged riots regardless, and when that too failed the rioters being discovered as receiving separatist reimbursement for their troubles, the prime minister had finally called in the Republic against the blockade that the separatists had finally brought. The planet was still neutral in the war but it was a start.

Plo Koon sank deeper into the force as the sharp pain of loss permeated his being. He had felt it across half the galaxy when it had happened, before he had had it confirmed by Commander Wolffe. General Kenobi, Council member and Jedi Master was dead. Jabiim, he'd read the reports, it had been a massacre. A part of him wished that he himself had been stationed on the world. Kenobi was, or had been a brilliant tactician, and an unparalleled swordsman, but what he had in those regards he lacked in experience and in patience. All this being said after receiving a report from Wolffe on the conditions which had been prevalent on Jabiim even he doubted on what it was he could have done to prevent the terrible tragedy and losses of life that had torn the planet asunder.

The Republic had been ill prepared for the rains which had turned the soils of Jabiim to mud, slowed down by the elements the walkers and equipment had been compromised. The rains and atmosphere had severely impeded orbital and air support. And what was more; the Republic radio communications and sensors were scrambled by the turbulent atmospheric conditions of the planet. It had been all but impossible to call for reinforcements, the battle all but fated for a Republic loss. He'd nearly doubled over when he'd felt it. So many Jedi dead, so many padawans slaughtered. The Jedi Council members may not have had force bonds with those that had perished but they were still all more closely connected through the force then most Jedi. He was in the midst of the battle on Kabal himself but upon his near collapse, Wolffe took over all but ordering him back onto the flagship. They had lost too many Jedi for him to be putting himself in harm's way when it was clear that he was not well, and Plo Koon had been in no condition to continue, he'd felt the loss of too many Jedi across the galaxy and Obi Wan Kenobi had been the tipping point. He had been fortunate he'd lasted as long as he had. Perhaps only Master Yoda had yet to quit a battle from an overload of the increasing deaths felt through the force burning out the senses but it was so, though no Jedi spoke of it each had their limits, and Obi Wan Kenobi had been his.

Obi Wan Kenobi, he has been the youngest on the Jedi Council, the youngest to ever sit on the Council as well. Many would forget his youth because of his demeanor. But Plo Koon never could, because though his beard hid his face nothing could shield his presence in the force, full of wit and sarcasm. It was a young force presence, and to lose the future, that, that was something even he had trouble releasing into the force. He sank deeper still, feeling the planet below and the battle that raged. He could feel the men in walkers, their urgency yet hope in a victory. His presence brushed past the Commander, by the war table, and though the other clones had ignored his presence as he sank deeper in meditation he could feel Wolffe turn at the feeling, as if someone had placed a hand on his shoulder, before turning back and resuming another set of orders in the assured manner of one who could already see the victory that was to come. He felt his Commanders exhaustion, the exhaustion but elation of the troops. The pilots whose thrill at flying never ceased and the lights of the galaxies beyond. But through it all he felt a pain that he had felt many times before, the pain of the knowledge that another promising light had been extinguished earlier then he would have wished into the force. This time it was merely more personal and therefore harder to release.

His skin felt heavy, as if something had coated it with durasteel. This was not a good sign and while he was tempted to brush such a thing away and find healing in the embrace of the force he knew from experience that some things were best left to a medical droid, or in this case a medic. He commed a surprised Coric but found that he had not in him to chuckle as the clone fumbled for proper protocol as medics were often free of such a thing when in the field. I was several minutes before Coric would be up and so he waited while resuming his meditations in the force.

-0-0-0-

"So what's the verdict?"

"The verdict?" Coric was folding a strip of bandages lengthwise when Wolffe strode into the med ward in his white uniform, indicating that he had been on the Destroyer for quite some time now. The scalpels and syringes all sterilized, check, bacta patches ready and counted for, bandages, almost done with that…

"For the General, he caught something down on Kabal didn't he?" General Koon hadn't told him that he couldn't share the verdict, and it was common protocol for Commanders and the like to know of each other's illnesses in the case that one had to replace the other, while the other recovered so he relented as he subconsciously sifted through the various medical equipment he had just finished checking up on.

"I'm not sure what the name is, I haven't exactly received in depth medical training for Kel Dor physiology. But yea, he's got some sort of bacterial virus? That's what it looks like anyway." There was no need for formalities, he'd patched Wolffe up enough times and it wasn't like this was an official inspection or anything.

"Is it akin to one of us catching a cold?" He followed Wolffe's gaze to the bacta tanks sighing to himself, he had really been looking forward to five minutes of quiet.

"Something like that. I don't want to bore you with the details…" He turned to put the bandages and several syringes away hoping that Wolffe would get the message. That he was a bit busy getting ready for whenever the wounded would be brought on board, but the Commander ignored this and merely leaned against one of the tables folding his arms across his chest.

"Humor me, I've just deployed the walkers so I've got a good hour or so to burn." Coric smirked knowing that Wolffe had added that last bit to keep him up to speed and humor him. He may well be a medic but he was always interested in what it was that was going on wherever the battle raged. He would be having to clean up the Commanders bloody mess after all. He sighed leaving his equipment and settling in a chair and folding his arms as well, if he was going to be humoring anyone anyway, he may as well be resting his legs while the peace and quiet lasted.

"Kabal's oceanic life forms have certain bacterial like viruses which I suspected could possibly infect General Koon. He stayed out of the water at this suggestion, but now I'm thinking the atmosphere may have had something to do with it though it did not rain. I've just did several standard medscans on him, nothing to be worried about, except the fact that well, I've never heard of a Jedi catching a cold before." Wolffe chuckled at that and Coric found that he too found it quite funny.

"Well Jedi or not he's still a biological being right?" Wolffe turned to go but paused by the door turning back slightly a thin frown on his face. "You don't happen to know how long the cold will last do you?"

"Two days at most, or so I'm thinking, but as I said I didn't receive that much training on nonhuman physiology." Wolffe seemed satisfied with the answer and Coric all but groaned when upon Wolffe's exit Tweak was brought in on a stretcher, a critical case no doubt as he was flown in from the battlefield itself followed by several other troopers limping or being carried in. There went his brief respite, then again it wasn't like he had anything better planned to do. Slipping on some standard gloves he was ready to treat his first patient of the hour.

-0-0-0-

For the first time in a long time, Plo Koon was in bed. It was ironic really, and humbling at the same time. He'd taken blaster bolts, survived the pressure of space, could trek through snows and sands for hours even days without tiring, and yet all it took was one small microscopic organism to bring him down. He coughed bringing up a hand in habit though his mask covered his mouth. His sinuses hurt, particularly the sensitive and thin tracheas that supplemented any Kel Dor's breathing. Force he couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so terrible. He could feel moisture on his dry skin as it produced the mucus necessary to flush out whatever had invaded his body. He focused on the small bacterial like cell which he could feel multiplying within himself. He could sense that it would not survive rapid shifts in temperature, but even with the force he had to be careful not to damage his own organs. The body was a fragile thing, and using the force within it was far more difficult than simply force pushing a rock or propelling oneself with the force.

It was why in his mind healers would always remain in high regard. Healing something, be it the body or the mind, was far more difficult than breaking the body or mind. If he were back in the temple he had no doubt it would have taken Vokara Che three hours at most to flush out the infection, however he was too far from Coruscant and so he would make do with what he had. Coric had provided some medication which he thought would be helpful and which he himself new to be helpful in times past to those of his species physiology, however this was a relatively new bacteria and though he had taken a standard dose of tablets with the purpose of cleaning his bloodstream of infections he felt that it would be best if he complemented the effort with the force. He sank into his meditation contemplating the ceiling and the best candidate to replace Master Kenobi's Council seat when he heard a light wrap on the door.

"Come in." He was not surprised to see Wolffe, he had felt his presence and those of the men still waging the battle below, and so he was expecting an update. He was not however expecting the large mug the Commander had with him.

"General, permission to approach sir?" He couldn't keep the amusement out of his voice at that. For all of Wolffe's military training and vast knowledge, for all of his brilliant strategies and capabilities, the Commanders hesitance when having to deviate from protocol was at times somewhat amusing. "You may."

He peered curiously at the cup as it was lowered onto the small table by his bedside before the Commander resumed a parade rest folding his arms behind his back. "It's bantha milk sir, with Alderaanian nectar. I am aware that nectar from Dorin is far more effective in fighting a cold for your physiology, but we didn't stock up on that…"

The unspoken , I didn't expect you to catch a cold so we didn't bother getting any was not spoken aloud, but he chuckled anyway. Though it came out more as semi chuckle through his cough, he was not touched any less by the gesture. "Thank you Wolffe." He sat up; thanking the force he could still do that without assistance. He picked up the mug studying the blue liquid and allowing his Commander some space within which to continue as he felt that the Commander had more to say through the force.

"We also received a transmission from Padawan Tano…I wasn't sure if you were still awake, Coric informed me he'd just been up to see you thirty or so minutes ago, so I took the liberty of taking a message. I didn't tell her you were sick sir, if that's alright with you; I'm not exactly sure what the standard protocol is on that… But uh you can call her back I'm sure you'd still catch her sir. "

"Thank you Wolffe but there will be no need." Interestingly enough the Commander was more concerned that he should have checked on his General first before telling little Soka that he was currently otherwise occupied but had no issues with the omission itself. And Plo Koon couldn't blame him. With General Kenobi dead there was no need to stir panic with another Council member's sickness, which would be healed within a day or so and would only cause more worry then was called for. "I will hear the message now."

"Yes sir." Wolffe pulled the holo from a side pocket handing it to Plo Koon.

The holo started up and the image of Ashoka blinked into existence, her stance and clasped but fidgety hands giving off an undertone of anxiety. "Hey Master Plo, this is Ashoka, I'm just sort of popping in to tell you that I'm still grounded on Coruscant. Master Skyguy's been ordered to run the evacuation on Jabiim by the Supreme Chancellor, so I guess I'm stuck back here till he gets back." She paused rubbing her arm to stall and reassure herself. He sighed it was not too hard to discern what she would speak off next. "I still can't believe Master Kenobi is gone. I mean, I just spoke with him several days ago via holo. And only two weeks ago he was showing me some new katas. I guess that's how the force works. You gotta value what you have or you might lose it." She sighed dejectedly. "I'm just calling to let you know that they want to hold the funeral on Coruscant when Master Skyguy gets back, I'm not sure when exactly… Master Skyguy wants to keep looking for a body before they make any arrangements but Master Yoda says that they'll wait two weeks before holding the funeral. So I suppose it's gonna be then… I guess what I'm trying to say is stay safe Master Plo, and may the force be with you."

He was silent for a long time after that. He was pulled out of his thought by his Commander who had shifted from one foot to the other bringing him back from his musing on what Ashoka had said. "Thank you Wolffe. How goes the battle."

"It's going well sir, I've just deployed the Republic walkers, they should be able to punch a hole through the separatist's defenses allowing us to route our men and secure the city. It should be half an hour more before they begin the final assault. It's one of the slowest battles thus far if I do have to say so myself."

"That is good news." A republic victory was something the Republic sorely needed. And looking at Wolffe's concerned yet somewhat bored demeanor Plo Koon was left wondering if perhaps they would have made a difference had they been stationed on Jabiim. Master Kenobi and Skywalker were ingenious in unorthodox situations. But sometimes merely outmaneuvering your opponent was what the battle required and Plo Koon was once again left to wonder why it was that he has not been stationed on Jabiim.

Wolffe coughed tactfully catching his attention once more. "Sir if I may, I need to return to the war table."

"Of course Commander, I will not keep you, you are dismissed." He drank the pleasantly scalding beverage slowly as he watched the Commander go a thin smile gracing his lips before a sigh reverberated through his bones. And he was left alone to battle his illness and the gaping hole that Kenobi had left in the force.

-0-0-0-

It was dark and disorienting, just like his first mission. Breathing was somewhat difficult, his rebreather had broken. Something he'd feared could happen ever since he'd begun his apprenticeship. To a Kel Dor, his mask was his life, and he was torn as to whether he should search for his Master or use the force to improvise, he wasn't sure he could, but the ship was a good hour away. There were screeches around him in the dark pit that he had fallen into. He wasn't sure what species these particularly beings were from but he could sense they were carnivorous, and they were hungry. He could feel his fear; it was almost tangible through the force.

He woke with a sudden start, a dark almost imperceptible shape moving to his side. He lashed out instantly and instinctively only to hear a human grunt before said human slid to the floor from the wall he'd been tossed into. Plo Koon returned to his consciousness in seconds alarmed, as his eyes searched for who it was he had tossed across half the room, finding the Commander in the dimly lit room. Wolffe was pushing himself up from the floor and wincing as he did so before rising and brushing himself off.

"I'm sorry, Wolffe are you alright?"

"Yes sir, sorry if I startled you sir, but you hadn't moved for hours and when you did I wanted to be sure you were alright."

It had been years since he'd needed to sleep. No doubt he'd been more worn out by the healing trance then he'd thought and must have drifted and transitioned to sleep from his trance. He couldn't hide the slight worry in his voice. "It is I who must apologize Wolffe I had not realized my sleep would be that deep. Is everything alright?" The Commander resumed his seat by Plo Koon's side and for a moment he was worried that perhaps he was more sick then he'd initially thought.

"Yes sir, sorry if my presence is inconveniencing you, but Coric said someone should monitor you as he's not familiar with Kel Dor physiology in terms of how the sickness could progress. He would have been here himself but, he's also the best surgeon that we have even though he doesn't sound like it." Plo Koon couldn't hold back chuckle at that, as well as allowing the chuckle to bring him a pathway to release his tension from his dreaming as he released his tension into the force, he was more troubled by the dream then he had initially thought he would be. "The battle was a Republic victory. We've mostly finished mopping up on Kabal so he's been in the operation room since. He would have sent another medic, however I'm the next well versed person on Kel Dor physiology and well, I thought you might possibly wish to wake up to a more familiar face?" The unspoken I wanted to make sure you were alright and you're always there when I'm sick so technically it must be allowed somewhere in the protocol hung unspoken in the air.

"That is very kind of you Wolffe."

"Just doing my job…" The Commander rubbed the back of his neck in what Plo Koon knew to be the universal sign of human sheepishness and was amused by it. It was no question that he as a Jedi could read the minds of others, and interestingly enough Wolffe never minded, which was quite novel as humans were always wary of those who could read their minds. And so the Commander no doubt knew that he could see right through him which only made the gesture more endearing. "So um, how are you feeling General?" I'm really worried but I'm pretending to be all professional about asking. Also I've never seen a Jedi sick before…this is normal right?

Koon couldn't suppress his chuckle at that. "I have been better Wolffe, however I believe that several more hours of rest will suffice."

"Is there anything you might require, Sir? If you are up to it I can give you a debriefing on how the battle had proceeded."

"That would be prudent Commander." Plo Koon wanted nothing more than to fall back into the deep folds of the force so that he could increase the speed of his recovery. However, with his connection to the force so turbulent after Obi Wan's death that was easier said than done, he found that just hearing someone's voice as he sank into his healing trance could be both helpful and at times comforting. Wolffe started from the top, numbers, strategies, deployment, his voice was even but with hints of emotion as he spoke of casualties, grief and regret, and their defensive maneuvers, pride and hope. By the time he reached the actual battle itself Plo Koon was deep in his meditations. And if he would have bothered to sense the room about him as he slept, he would have known that Wolffe had stayed, and sometime after the seventh hour of pondering the next battle and next deployment while watching General Koon's condition, he had drifted off to sleep as well.

When Plo Koon awoke thirty hours later finally flushing out the bacteria it was to an empty room and a datapad outlining their fleets next deployment and several battle strategies as well as a thermos filled with bantha milk mixed with Alderaanian nectar. Picking up the beverage and sensing the room about him a warm but sad smile graced his masked features. Obi Wan Kenobi was gone, as were many other Jedi Knights and padawan's. It was painful it was brutal, but through it all he would not be alone. The hole that Obi Wan left still ached as did Jabiim. But he found that if he focused on the datapad and the force around him, the pain was easier to bear.

* * *

InkWizard: Thanks for the reviews! You requested I involve Plo Koon in the next installment more and maybe do a chapter on Plo Koon narrating the Abregado escape pod episode. I don't know whether I will do that in the future but I thought about it and inspiration struck me for this ch so here you go;)

Alrighty! A bit different than usual because it includes a lot more Plo Koon POV. Honestly the guy is pretty hard to write mostly because I didn't really watch that much clone wars. I hope I did him justice. I chose this piece because I wanted to show that Obi Wan's supposed death on Jabiim didn't just affect Anakin it affected all the Jedi on the Council as well as those outside. I also feel that death is not an easy thing to just let go off. Plo Koon may not have the time to think on the death but when he does no doubt it's hard for him to accept. I also wanted to show how Plo Koon views the clones. He really thinks of them as people and individuals and they all love him for it. I was watching a video clip on youtube of when the Wolffepack brings relief to Aleen you can clearly see Plo Koon's picture on the transports its actually kind of neat and cool. Wolffe turning at Plo Koon's brush of his mind? Wolffe isn't a force sensitive obviously but if you read the other ch Wolffe has felt what a Jedi's mind feels like so he would no doubt feel a shift, the others haven't studied the force or taken meditation lessons from Plo Koon. Also Wolffe doesn't exactly feel Plo Koon because Plo Koon was just brushing the edges of his mind but he does feel something. Or that's what I assume anyway. Well tell me what you thought and of course weather I got Plo Koon down fine.

Thanks Stella Polare for reminding me that not everyone is familiar with the Jabiim arc. For those of you who are not familiar with the Jabiim arc Obi Wan is not dead, he gets taken off Jabiim by Ventress who puts a Sith mask on him to torture him with the dark side so everyone thinks he's dead because the Jedi can't feel him through the force, until he escapes and is saved by I believe Anakin. So he's still very much alive I didn't kill him off. Hope I cleared that up, Laters!


	8. Choosing Wolffe Squad

Ch8: Choosing Wolffe Squad

"Master Plo it is good that you are here again." Jedi Master and Council Member Shaak Ti's voice was sonorous as she greeted the Kel Dor Council Member on the observatory tower of the training grounds. "I have another batch of promising troopers ready for a simulation of your choosing.

Plo Koon nodded politely though his mind was musing on how it was he would know which Commander was to be the best fit for his tactics. Some of the Jedi Masters and knights were assigned smaller squadrons of men already led by lieutenants or Captains without such a need as observations and simulations. However Council Members like himself were to choose from the Commanders, the elite of all the units that had been created to be the first line of defense for the Republic. He hadn't thought it to be that difficult at first, however after observing over ten Commander Squadrons in action the force was still silent and the Squads left little of an impression on him. He wasn't sure what he was looking for but he assumed that much like the other Masters he would know what it was when he'd find it.

"This next current Command Squadron goes by the name 327th Star Corps Command Unit. The three twenty seven is their battalion's designation and they are led by a Commander Bly. They excel at quite a number and wide range of deployments and are especially good at demolition and jungle like terrains. They're performance is average however compared to the other Squadrons and are likely to be delegated to an acting Jedi Master." Plo Koon's eyes narrowed as he felt the clone troopers through the force. They were different and rather difficult than the average human to read through the force but he could still feel their surface thoughts and impressions through the force. The Commanders signature was a violet green; he could feel his focus and dedication.

"Run the general ambush simulation." He allowed himself to sink deeper into the force as Shaak Ti tapped off the designated codes for the droids to follow. The room shifted and a buzzer went off. The men instantly fell into positions and he could feel their focus and confidence through the force. The shooting display went on for quite some time and the men lasted a good half an hour but in the end they were all sprawled on the ground cradling their wounds. "Match and set." Shaak Ti said as she powered down the simulator and turned to face Plo Koon. "What do you think Master Plo? They lasted quite longer then the last batch, I believe this is their personal best as well."

"Tell me Master Ti…what was the objective of this exercise?"

"Survival." The Togruta Jedi Master folded her arms as she turned back and observed as the men helped each other up and began limping off to the med bay.

"I see…and the men…they were aware of this?"

"Yes, most of these scenarios were presented before so they know what we're looking for. I gather you will not choose this batch?"

"I believe not Master Ti. Two of your other squadrons chose to treat this as a battle scenario and not as a survival exercise in which there is no room for a victory. Their performance may not have been as well as this squadron's however their approach made far more sense to me."

"I understand. We have several more squadrons on standby of course. Most are in the mess hall at the moment but this next one is the 104th battalion. They call themselves the Wolffepack and are led by a Commander Wolffe. Plo Koon's brow furrowed in curiosity at that. "So they named their squadron after their Commander?"

"Yes they did indeed." The five clones made their way out and Shaak Ti seeing that the name had peaked Koon's interest continued as she turned on a standard warm up round. "The main unit is made up of five troopers as always. Theirs Kolto, he's the medic, Gravity, demolition expert and heavy weaponry, Fidget, heavy weaponry and sniper, Boost close range and midrange arms, Sinker, he's the second in Command and Wolffe whose leading the squadron."

"I see…" The men had begun the warm up round and were following a trooper whose hair was dyed white and who was giving out orders to the rest of the troopers.

"Is that Wolffe?"

"No he's the one hanging behind and watching."

"I see…" That was curious. Of all the troopers in his unit he was the most nondescript. Kolto's hair was died a wild green, Gravity was cleanly shaven, Fidget's hair was dyed grey and he had three teardrops in the same color under his left eye. Sinker's hair was a shock of white and Boosts was an odd shave with two streaks on his head died a deep red. Wolffe however retained the standard clone cut and bore no markings or even indications of his rank. It was curious to say the least. "Well Master Ti, I believe they are finished with the warm up."

"I will begin with the general ambush simulation, yes?"

"Yes, I wish to see what this unit is capable off."

"Very good." Master Ti hit the intercom. "Helmets on soldiers I will commence the simulation now. The troopers had all turned to look up at the observatory when Shaak Ti spoke, hearing the new sets of orders they put on their standard military helmets and broke into a ready formation as the guns lining the walls and floors began whirring to life.

The simulation having begun the five troopers broke for strategic cover, Sinker's mouth was moving and it was blatantly obvious that he was the one giving out orders. The shooting began Plo Koon's eyes narrowed as he observed the firefight below. "Tell me Master Ti, why is Wolffe not in Command?"

"That is indeed a very good question Master Koon. He's been training the Sargent should the case come that there is a need for a replacement."

"I see, is it possible to hear what they are saying?"

"Yes of course." Normally the observatory muted the comms unless they were monitoring how the men were proceeding with their strategies. Master Koon had asked her to turn on the comms several times before so she thought little of it as she tweaked the volume and resumed to observe the gallery below.

"Gravity over there! Shoot out those cannon with some charges."

"On it Sinker!"

"Fidget snipe that turret!" Wolffe covered him as he did so.

"Kolto! I want you to cover me while I-"

"Negative!" Wolffe interrupted. "Kolto on your six, take that out first! Sinker, don't forget about the five o'clock turret."

"Right sorry, I'm on the three, you take the four."

"Already on it."

"This is taking a lot longer than last I remember…" Fidget frowned as he turned to snipe at another turret.

"They upped the difficulty no doubt, focus."

"Right…"

Plo Koon frowned thinly at the display below as he observed Sinker leading the men. "They are making good time…very good time."

"Indeed they are, this is one of the top performing unites on par with Commander Gree's, Pond's and Cody's."

"If that is so why has no one chosen this unit as of yet? Surely they have been presented to the other Council Member's."

Shaak Ti frowned mildly at the men down below. "That is a good question." She folded her hands across her chest which Master Plo Koon did as well, as he peered down below though her eyes were still on the men as well. "The problem is with the Commander actually. When he is on the field he is capable…more than capable actually. However the moment we place a ranking officer above him he…well I'm not so sure how to put it but he defers to anyone we place above him."

"How so?" Shaak Ti sighed. "I'm not sure how to explain it however the moment we have an acting General barking out orders he begins to second guess himself. It's as if in his mind he is demoting himself."

"Have you tried to have the acting General place his men in harm's way?"

"We don't run simulations like that Master Plo. No Jedi would actively place their men in harm's way."

"And what if it were a fallen Jedi leading the men?"

"We don't run simulations in such a manner Master Plo, and it's not only that, he will always defer to his handlers as well, be it a language teacher or a combat master. From a normal clone this is adequate behavior however from a Commander that is highly unusual. His battle strategies and abilities are on par if not exceeding many Commanders' however the moment he is off the field he will always defer to those he believes are above him in power." If Plo Koon was frowning before he was practically oozing displeasure now. He had his reservations when he heard of a Clone army ready to fight for the Republic but now? How much control did these men have over their own existence? How much freedom did they have? When he returned to Coruscant he and the Council would have words."

"Kriff!"

"Wolffe!" The man had taken a laser from one of the turrets to his right arm and was cradling it, hissing lowly while doing so. "Sinker, keep to the four o'clock, Kolto to your left!"

Plo Koon sank into the force…he had assumed that just like his appearance the Commander would be nondescript in the force but it was not so the clone in question was a sharp gold and liquid amber. The presence was powerful and spoke volumes to his Commanders character and abilities. But there was a grey shadowlike quality at the edges of the amber, a cold shroud that hovered at the edges of the senses; it piqued his interest if only for the sharp chill that radiated from it. "Fidget, get that turret at three o'clock before it hits Sinker."

He nodded at Shaak Ti and the Jedi Master muted the comms. "Well what do you think?" Plo Koon's frown deepened and though Shaak Ti could no doubt not see it through his mask she paid it little heed. "I believe that perhaps I should speak with them and commend them on their good time."

"Yes of course." Master Ti smiled warmly. Forty five minutes is nearing their personal best. "Though of course Commander Cody holds the one hour mark with his squadron." The two of them filed out of the observatory and descended down a staircase which led into the arena below. The five troopers had by now gathered and aligned themselves in a parade rest, though they were all sporting quite a number of bruises and two were limping from the stun settings of the simulation.

Commander Wolffe stood at parade attention despite his previous injury, to his right were Sinker and then Boost, followed by Fidget Gravity and Kolto. "At ease troopers." Said Master Shaak Ti as she came to a stand opposite the clones. Plo Koon himself to her right looked up and down the file as the men took a parade rest.

"This is Jedi Master Plo Koon from the Jedi Council. He was quite impressed with your performance and would like to commend you on it." She inclined her head slightly in his direction and the troopers all looked to him.

He folded his arms before himself studying the men briefly. Something curious seemed to be occurring with the Commanders force presence but he ignored it for the moment. "The most important thing in any survival exercise is not to treat it as a survival exercise but a battle simulation. You have done this here and it is most impressive."

"Thank you sir." The troopers all said roughly around the same time. Before Shaak Ti dismissed them indicating for the Commander to remain. The men all filed out shooting a last look at their Commander before Shaak Ti too made her way up to the observatory to prepare for the next squadron of men allowing for Plo Koon to have a moment to speak with Wolffe.

"I hear your squadron's performance is most impressive."

"Thank you sir." He studied the clone before him and the sudden shift that had occurred. And while to him reading the clones was still not a simple task he could gather much when said clones stood before him or in this case said clone. "Tell me Commander Wolffe would you like to serve under my person?"

"It would be an honor Sir." The words were quick to be said but there was little confirmation that the Commander himself wanted it to be so. It was as he had suspected a simple deferring to his superior rank. "And if you had the choice Commander under which General would you wish to serve?"

There was a pause and he could tell that the choice did not so much confuse Wolffe, in so much as it simply did not register as much of a choice. "My Wollfepack and I would be honored to fight under any Jedi Master or General, Sir."

"I see, thank you Wolffe. Though perhaps we should continue this conversation at a different time. I believe it would be prudent for you to visit the medward." The man looked up sharply at the use of his name over his title but gave a quick nod of assent. "Thank you Sir. It's an honor Sir." The man saluted smartly and turned making his way towards the arena's exit, finally allowing himself to acknowledge his injury and cradle his right arm. Though through it all Plo Koon's frown merely deepened.

-0-0-0-

It was later that evening that that the Wolffepack was all getting ready for bed. Wolffe occupied the middle bunk, the third of five. Sinker was a bed above and to the right of Wolff's with Kolto's being below and to the left of Wolffe's. Gravity and Fidgets were the lowest bunks Gravity below Wolffe and Fidgets below Sinker with Boost's bunk being next to Kolto's. Their pods were all pulled out and they were all sitting in various positions on their beds save for Gravity who was leaning against the closed pods and looking up to speak with his brothers. Unbeknownst to them however a silent and concealing shadow was crouched in the rafters above that dominated only two other pod rooms, as they were still under construction and were to have a different structure then the older rooms.

"Well that wasn't so bad." Sinker said as he settled on his bed having just finished changing into his crimson standard sleep wear.

"You're telling me." Gravity groused. "Could have been worse, at least that blaster shot only clipped you."

Wolffe sighed as he absently rubbed at his arm now covered with a bacta patch and gauze.

"Even if Wolffe had went down we would have known what to do." Fidgets hands were clasped before himself and he was worrying them nervously against each other.

"Not the point." Sinker frowned. "Could you imagine our score? They say that Jedi coming to check us out is on the Council itself."

Gravity whistled. "You don't say."

"Yea one of the last ones too, to need a squadron." Boost added in. "What do you make of him? Wolffe?"

There brother in question seemed to have went deep in thought. Whether this was a good or bad thing was a thing still debated but it wasn't that rare to see it happen. Though brooding as Kolto liked to put it was not healthy, Sinker maintained that there was nothing wrong with thinking things through. "Kamino to Wolffe." Boost waved a hand in the air from his pod.

"I was listening." Wolffe sighed again before running his good hand through his hair in discomfort. "I think what we think of him doesn't matter. But he seems like he knows what he's looking for."

"That's for sure." Gravity inclined his head smartly. "We seemed to have impressed him then. I heard we were the only squad he spoke with personally."

"We were also one of the few elite squads to have been showcased. If he really is a member of the Council that will be the deciding factor." It was logical but that was Wolffe.

"You mean left to be showcased." Kolto put in. "Then again members of elite units have been moved around so there's no telling what could happen."

"I still say he liked us said." Gravity tightening his arms folded across his chest. "We were good."

"Good or not the question is if he's good." Boost put in.

"He wouldn't be on the Council if he wasn't." Kolto said putting away the brush he'd been running through his hair.

"You know what I meant." Snapped Boost.

"We're not going to talk about that again." Wolffe interrupted before Kolto and Boost could devolve into argument. "We will serve whoever we are placed under to the best of our abilities."

"It's been a long day maybe we should turn in." Fidget said his hands still worrying against each other his own face troubled.

"Lets." It was Gravity. He'd had enough of these sorts of arguments and was quite worn out. He knew his brothers to be worn out as well from all the stress they'd been placed under this week with talk of a Council member coming to view the squads. With Wolffepack being one of the last of the elites the pressure was up to be chosen or face ridicule from the lesser ranking of the squads. He pulled out his pod folded himself in and pressed the release to be pulled in for his sleep cycle.

Fidget followed his example after wishing his brothers a goodnight and having his pod pull him in.

Wolffe rose from his bed and dimmed the lights of the room. He was about to climb back up to his pod when Boost who'd risen from his own pod stopped him with a hand. He frowned. "Did you hear about what happened to CT-8344?"

"Heard he'd been sent for 'reconditioning' whatever that's supposed to mean." Sinker put in, in a low voice from where he was sitting.

"You mean he'd been quietly disposed of." Kolto snapped.

"Kolto!" Wolffe cut him off.

"What it's true!"

"Why don't you say it a little louder so that someone could hear you?" Snapped Wolffe, he sighed after his sudden moment of anger. "We all know what goes on behind closed doors Kolto. If we could do anything about it we would, but he broke protocol and attacked a trainer."

"I say he was provoked." Muttered Sinker. "There was no way he would've done anything otherwise, they've been rumors about him in other squads to.

"The trainer in question was let go as well, at the very least he will no longer trouble the other cadets." Wolffe said folding his hands across his chest.

"That's not the point!" Boost said in a low whisper.

"Or is it?" Wolffe whispered back his eyes narrowing at Boost. "We're expandable, don't ever forget that and don't let the trainers let you hear otherwise. They may say we're crucial to the Republic and I'm committed to that vision of peace as are we all but the ideal is not reality. Remember that. Even the Jedi are only pieces. We're all pieces; some just have more freedom then others."

Boost looked into his eyes then looked away allowing Wolffe to climb into his pod, he sighed, Boost noticed he'd been doing that a lot lately. "Get to bed…all of you, we may have another exercise tomorrow and healing only happens so fast, you may need to take point again tomorrow Sinker."

There was a chorus of goodnights before Wolffe activated his pod for sleep. Boost Kolto and Sinker stuck around all frowning and huddled in a circle. "He won't say it but he's worried…"

"What do you think Sinker, we're an elite squad and we have yet to be chosen. I'd be worried too if I were him." Said Kolto frowning.

"Yeah well I don't know, it's hard to read that Jedi's face. And I don't like that."

"Theirs yet a Jedi for you to like Boost." Kolto just shook his head. "Wolffe is right, we've all heard things. But we have a job to do. Even if we get a General who we don't approve of, it wouldn't be our choice. We get who we get." He pulled himself into his bunk. "Goodnight." He pulled himself in with a hiss.

"It's not right." Sinker muttered.

"Yeah whatever." Boost shrugged. "Let's just hope we don't get kriffed over."

"Lets." Sinker ran a hand through his hair before he set his pod for sleep. The room was silent save the worried form hiding in the rafters.

-0-0-0-

"Tell me Master Ti, have there been any incidents of late?"

"Incidents?" Master Shaak Ti was in the lounge of her chambers, a room rather spacious and made to allow Jedi visitors and other guests. Both Masters were sitting in the Selkath styled couches a pot and cups of tea between them.

"Indeed, I have heard that there had been a trainer let go recently."

"Oh yes, I know what incident you speak of. We had a clone cadet attack one of the weapons trainers last week. He was relatively new and had only been with us for two months. One of the clone cadets seemed to have had an issue with his teachings on Mandalore and attacked him in one of the corridors. We questioned both and while the cadet maintained that it was self-defense the trainer was adamant that it had been deliberate."

"I see, and what was the deliberation based upon?"

"The clone cadet had simply disliked him."

"I see and the clone?"

"The clone claimed the man had prejudice against Mandalorians and his bias extended to clones under his training, he as well maintained that the trainer had provoked him by attacking him first."

"Is this true?"

"It may be but it is highly doubtful. I sensed a general dislike in him of this however this does not excuse the clone's behavior. He could have come to us with his misgivings."

"And what if he was threatened to silence?"

"Threatened? It would have been caught on tape at the very least. I assure you Master Plo I select each trainer personally. We rarely have incidents if any."

"And yet you allowed a man with prejudice against the template of these clones to train them." Plo Koon frowned not liking where this was going. "Do you have copies of the training sessions?"

"Not all rooms are monitored but we should have some from room 5A, he held one or two classes in that arena." She rose and tapped on a console and the class in question came up. "I have several reports to file make yourself at home I will return shortly." Shaak Ti left and Plo Koon approached the console in question, in it was the training session and while nothing nefarious came up as he watched it was clear the man held a general dislike for the clones in the extreme work out he put them through before berating them for their general lack of inefficiency and lack of stamina. The undercurrent of dislike was unnerving more so since the clones seemed to have little say in the matter.

"Tell me Master what do you make of this session?" Shaak Ti who had only just returned approached to observe the moment he'd paused the recording at. She pursed her lips frowning. "Well it is certainly not ideal but these aren't temple younglings there men, Jedi in training so to speak."

"Men who have no say in who has authority over their own wellbeing you mean to say. Even initiates have a say in who is to be their Jedi Master."

Master Ti tapped on the console closing it down before settling onto one of the couches with a displeased sound escaping her lips. "It is unfortunate Plo, but even we are not infallible, I had thought he was the best choice, but it appears that perhaps I was wrong. However perhaps this was a good way for the clones to encounter a real life situation in which they encounter a biased individual and learn to work with them."

Plo Koon settled on the opposite couch folding his arms across his chest. "I would sorely hope they are never placed under an individual who has such bias against them. Particularly since they are to be placed under Jedi, and all living things are precious."

"I have no doubt of that. However on to more pressing matters have you decided on which squadron you want for your Command?"

"Not as of yet."

"I can have several more squadrons run some stimulation tomorrow. There are only a few more that I would truly suggest but the choice is truly all yours."

"The exercises will not be necessary. Tell me Master Ti what happened with the trainer in question." Shaak Ti smiled wryly; leave it to her fellow Council Member to have a one track mind when it came to such things as justice. It was almost nostalgic.

"He's still here, due to leave sometime next week after another questioning."

"And the clone? What happened to him?"

"The same thing that happens to any clone that attacks a ranking officer."

"And that is?" She gave him a hard look, and need not have said anything further.

"I see. Do you mind of if I question this trainer myself?"

"Go right ahead, he's in his rooms on the east wing."

Plo Koon rose and made his way to the door his mind troubled. He could not fault Shaak Ti for her oversight, these things occurred, she was not infallible, Jedi were not infallible, he could little fault the Jedi in general at what they'd become when they'd needed men to protect the Republic from destruction. These things were inevitable. But the treatment of the clones was not. He knew some of the Jedi were skeptical of a clone army, some had misgivings but they were Jedi first and foremost no matter their beliefs.

-0-0-0-

"Commander Wolffe please report to the general training area. Commander Wolffe." It was a generic and general intercom voice used throughout the facility, though in this case it was only heard in one specific pod.

"Whaa?" Wolffe woke up with a start his eyes going to the chrono. It was only two hours into his sleep rotation and he was being called into a meeting now?" He groaned under his breath as he released the hatch to his pod. It was likely connected to the presence of the Council Member, whatever it was he'd find out shortly though he sorely hoped it wasn't one of the other Commanders pulling a prank on him. Such things were of course looked down upon by their trainers but they all snuck in what they could to make their life more lively. They wouldn't pull anything big and if it was low key the trainers would for the most part look the other way.

He got dressed into his uniform, it was grey and similar to the one he would receive once actually deployed under a General save the official rank bars. He got as far as the dimmed hallway before coming face to face with the Council Member that had been observing them earlier that day, Jedi Master Plo Koon.

"Commander, apologies for waking you however I had wished you to accompany me for a walk."

"It is nothing sir." The Jedi in question was taller then he and looked down at him almost as if in question. Unbeknownst to him was Plo Koon's surprise at the speed at which he'd presented himself and the general lack of care at being pulled out of bed in the middle of the night by a Jedi Council Member he'd only met that day with no explanations nor questions asked. They walked at length and it seemed to Wolffe the Council Member was deep in thought. That was alright by him if only because he was too tired to care and wondering where exactly the Kel Dor was taking him.

"Do you know where we are heading to Commander Wolffe?" The name again. It was strange to hear the Council Member say it. His brothers used it. Some of the trainers used it if only for convenience but he'd always assumed they were to be addressed by number.

"No sir." The Kel Dor sighed. "Trainer Demrel, you are familiar with him are you not." Wolffe's mind stilled his heart convulsing suddenly in his chest. "Yes sir."

"Tell me, what do you make of him?" The Kel Dor had stopped abruptly and he found himself at a crossroad of the hallways with only droids patrolling the area for any interlopers. Wolffe swallowed heavily. That man was a prejudice piece of bantha kriff if there ever was one. Wolffe had tried to run interference when he could but that man was relentless in his adamant disgust for the clones. But he couldn't say that…and a Jedi could tell if he was lying. So he settled for something in between. "He was certainly very dedicated to encouraging us to reach our peak efficiency."

"I see." The Kel Dor brought up a hand to his rebreather as if in thought. Did he? Did he see? Master Ti didn't seem to see though at the very least she'd decided that the man should be let go, but that was largely due to his short tenure in comparison to the rumored complaints against him. There were others like he, perhaps not as ruthless and more subtle, but it was there. Not all the trainers were so impartial, to some it was just a job.

He stood at attention wondering if he should speak. At length the Kel Dor brought his hand down and motioned for them to proceed. He followed the Jedi wondering where they were possibly going.

-0-0-0-

Plo Koon for his part was even more concerned after he'd spoken to the Commander. From his words it was quite clear on what had occurred more than what hadn't and what kind of man Trainer Demrel really was. But there was no better way to confirm the man's true nature then by provoking him into showing his hand. As much as he felt for dragging the Commander out of bed this had to be solved soon and it had to be solved now. And after all this he'd need to have words with the Council, there was much here that was concerning.

The Commander seemed surprised when they reached their destination. The door slid open with a hiss and they entered into a small living room. Trainer Demrel was sitting on a couch skimming through a datapad, he rose when he caught sight of the Kel Dor. "Jedi Master, what a surprise. To what do I owe this visit." He motioned for Koon to sit. "Ah cadet, bring us up some caf."

The Commander inclined his head briefly. "Anything specific for you Master?"

"Nothing." Plo Koon was not amused in the slightest with the treatment and the apparent acceptance of it by the Commander.

The Commander bowed out to get the beverage in question and Plo Koon was left with his quarry in silence. "So," the man said at length clearly uncomfortable with the general lack of conversation. "Here to pick a platoon? Can't say I envy you, their all a mess, human soldiers would at least be… well at least human. The Commander from that pack CC-36 something would be my choice if only because he does what he's told. Keeps his mouth shut too. Then again they all look the same."

"I see." Plo Koon replied a feral smile gracing his features though it was hard to catch under his mask. There was nothing Plo Koon loved more than a man who made it only so easy to bring himself to justice.

"Well I'm surprised you would humans must all look the same for you, these clones more so. But enough of all this how can I help you?"

"I heard that they'd been an incident recently."

"Oh yes, nasty business with that clone, he cornered me in one of those halls with no cams and tried to choke me." Demrel said rubbing his neck almost absently.

"I see. And how exactly did this occur?" the force was murky around the man and it was difficult to discern if what he spoke of was the truth, a half-truth then to conceal what had most likely occurred.

"You tell me I didn't make them defective, then again you never know. Better get rid of the lot of them if you ask me. Wolffe had entered prior to this statement and while it was still difficult for himself to read the clones through the force he could feel the general dislike of the statement though the Commander did not show it.

"Ah great." Demrel took the cup and took a swig with the Commander going to stand behind the couch. "Wolffe why don't you take a seat?" The Commander looked up at him sharply and then at the trainer, and it was quite evident through the force that he was conflicted. He sat a moment later, no doubt the suggestion of a Council Member outweighing whatever orders he'd received from a now retired trainer. The trainer said nothing though it was quite clear that he couldn't understand why it mattered whether the clone sat or stood. In his mind it probably appeared all the same to him. They sat for a good few minutes. Plo Koon had heard what he'd needed and it was evident that the Commander was quite uncomfortable and no doubt still exhausted from his harrowing day and sudden awakening from his sleep. He had made his decision. "Come Commander," he ignored the trainer's farewell and other such nonsense and was followed out by the Commander.

They made their way towards the barracks and after several minutes Plo Koon stopped abruptly. "Commander, is this manner of treatment of clones a norm for this man."

The Commander did not meet his eye. The silence dragged on and though the Commander said yes at length he needn't have.

"Are there any other trainers who treat you and the other clones in such a manner?" There was an even longer pause of silence. He could see the man before him struggling to put what he had experienced in words. "If I may sir it wasn't that bad." To anyone else these words would have meant nothing, would have meant everything was fine and all was well. But to himself who had seen what he had seen and lived through what he had lived well let's just say he wasn't on the Council itself for nothing. Those words were worrying, they indicated a beaten down mentality. One where the subject who'd suffered had been so ignored that he'd come to accept the treatment received as the norm.

"Do you follow all orders given to you by anyone of superior rank?"

"Yes sir. Those are the proper protocols."

"I see and what if you received an order to harm a fellow trooper, would you carry it out?"

"No sir. That would be against protocol."

"Have you ever received such an order?"

"No sir. If I may sir, some of our trainers may not like us but we know how to deal with it. Most of them are all too happy to do their hours and leave us well alone. A man such as Trainer Demrel is not a common occurrence." There was a silence after that outburst. "Sorry Sir, if I spoke out of turn I mean."

It was at this moment that something in Plo Kooon snapped. He knew he couldn't make everyone see the clones as he did nor could he force those that were non Jedi to do the same. The Jedi themselves were a different matter but to those who were human and all others, to them the clones were something new something not understood, something more akin to droids then sentients. But he could if only in this case make sure that this clone never had to go through such a thing again. He wasn't sure what prompted him before but now he knew it was the force that had made him so interested in the Commander. There was something about him something that the force knew would work. It was ironic but in some small way the Commander reminded him of Ashoka timid yet bold at the same time.

"You never need permission to speak freely before me Commander."

"Thank you Master."

"I prefer Master Plo, or General Plo."

"Sir?"

"I won't order you to serve under me. Nor will I ask Master Ti to assign you as my squadron simply because I wish it. I am giving you an offer however to work with myself. And I can assure you Wolffe, outside of battle I will never give you a direct order, and if during a battle you disagree with my orders I will expect you to do so freely. And if I see the wisdom in your judgement I will defer to you Wolffe."

There was silence, the Commander's eyes widened in confusion in disbelief. "I see…if I may Sir…it would be an honor."

Plo Koon couldn't say he was pleased. If anything it once more appeared that the Commander was deferring to himself if only because he was a Council Member. But perhaps this was the best he was going to get. The Commanders acceptance rang true with the force, it appeared this course of action seemed appropriate then. And all else, the Commanders hesitations included could be worked on.

"Well then I believe we have an agreement." The Commander dismissed himself and Plo Koon himself made his way to speak with Master Ti on the transfer. It appeared he finally had a command squadron to call his own. And truth be told he was looking forward to it. After all he'd worked with Jedi Padawan's before, how different could this be?

* * *

Andddddd I'm finally done with this ch! Well this took some time. Again leave reviews and please forgive grammatical errors etc.

Regarding the Jedi, I'm sure some had their misgivings etc about the clones and brought them before a council but there's a war going on so there was only so much that could be done.

Well thanks again to all those that reviewed and later guys.


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